Paranoid or Prepared:How an Average Wizard Can Survive Nearly Anything
by AllOutOfGluesticks
Summary: Exactly 1 year, 2 months, and 13 days after the fall of Lord Voldemort, Harry and Hermione begin to notice some strange activity. With a knowledge of danger and how to survive it, how will their crew of 2 change things at the end of the world? Harry/Daryl slow burn.
1. Robbing Costco

At the end of communication, people were all saying it was like the world had ended overnight.

Harry and Hermione knew better. After all, when you are trained to see the danger all around you, to never miss a clue, to never feel safe, well, it was easy to see what everyone else was missing.

There always seemed to be a group of people whispering in the Ministry. Diagon Alley was either incredibly busy or completely empty. The birds stopped flying, and some people disappeared. Hermione's parents reported similar oddities in the muggle world. People weren't going to church anymore. The stores were either packed or empty. Their neighbors started staying in the house, and one 55 year old man even purchased a firearm despite having never showed an interest before. There seemed to be a tenseness everywhere.

From the very first rumblings, it was apparent to Harry and Hermione that something was very wrong in the world. Something big was happening, and no one was going to say or do anything until it was too late.

Unfortunately, Ron did not feel the same. When they approached him about their doubts, he called them paranoid and crazy. He accused them of living in the past and needing the drama and adrenaline of a dangerous life to feel something – anything.

With Ron unwilling to believe them, they began to plan on their own. Since the days of camping in the forest of Dean, Hermione's backpack had been forever packed and ready by her bed. Some habits were incredibly hard to break after all. They sat down at her incredibly tiny kitchen table in her incredibly tiny flat and realized just how different it felt to plan something like this alone. They made a list of categories for potential disaster, things they would need to survive, and people to bring into the fold. They discussed each category one by one with a quick decisiveness born of necessity and practice.

"Alright, let's think as logically as possible. While the government hasn't stopped functioning, it's clear that something classified is happening if people are whispering about it in a government building. If it weren't for extendable ears I would never have known, but it's always hand to keep an ear out in a place as corrupt as the ministry," Hermione placed several books on the table as she rushed about the room.

"Yes, I agree. What worries me even more than that is the lack of bustle in Diagon. Even during Voldemort's active years people's attendance in Diagon never seemed to stagnate to this degree. It's almost like the regular patrons are no longer coming. Lines out the potions shop seem never ending, but line for entertainment shops and restaurants are practically barren." The worry line in Harry's forehead eroded deeper in as he spoke. He began to nibble on a sugar quill as he considered the possibilities.

"Harry...the potions shop, the hospitals, the mysterious deaths in Japan...you don't think this is truly a magical problem do you? It sounds like something else," Hermione nervously twisted a lock of hair with one hand while flipping a book entitled "Paranoid or Prepared – How an Average Wizard Can Survive Nearly Anything" by Flibgibiter Demontopolis.

"We could speculate all day, but I think it might be best to put the rush on this Hermione. 3 most likely possibilities before we move on to other things. One is obviously warfare. Perhaps something muggle spilling over into our world as our world spilled into theirs" Harry wrote warfare onto the list in a quick scribble before handing the quill over to Hermione.

Hermione gazed off into the distance for a moment before circling the potion's shop and hospitals on her notes before something sharp seemed to snap into her eyes. "Next likely possibility is disease. Many of the places on this list are places people would go when they are ill. Hospital supplies and potions are nearly always the first things to go in an epidemic or pandemic situation. While it doesn't seem as though things have reached that point yet, it is definitely a likely outcome based on the knowledge we have at present."

She wrote disease in her blocky handwriting on the line under warfare before setting the quill down on the table. She reached across the table for a teacup and took a shaky sip before steeling herself for the rest of the conversation.

Harry shot her a weak smile that always seemed to give her hope. They could do this. They were together and could get through this.

"Hermione, does anything else truly seem like a likely event to you?"  
He asked this seriously. It was clear that his mind had been drawn to one of the possibilities on the paper, but never let it be said that Hermione wasn't thorough.

"Alright, what about some sort of government takeover. Maybe not ours, but in the muggle realm every decision against the Queen directly affects the Ministry. People are missing church, weekly trips to the store, and even staying inside. What if it isn't safe on the streets anymore? Some sort of underground regime change could cause the things we've been seeing...but...I have to admit it seems the least likely of the three possibilities," Hermione rattled in a rush. Her hand rubbed together with nervousness as she spoke, but the further into the theory she got the more she seemed to calm.

3 events, though only 2 seemed truly likely. 3 events and about a million more things to discuss.

"We need to move on. In all three scenarios there are a multitude of things to consider," Hermione continued, "food, shelter, health, power, and trustworthy people. The list is nearly endless honestly, and the way things are going I don't think we have much time. Maybe 2 weeks on the outside if whatever it is continues at this rate. Probably less if we are being realistic. Obviously we need to choose shelter first as it will take time to properly prepare a site for the presence of us and whomever we bring into this." Hermione flipped further into the book to a chapter clearly labelled, "Choosing the Optimum Shelter – Caves, Castles, and Citidels."

Harry transfigured a roll of parchment into a proper journal. There was clearly going to be more to plan and it seemed more efficient to keep all of their research in one location. He used a spell to copy their notes from the parchment onto the first page of the journal before flipping to a new page and scurrying to write different categories they would need to consider. He listened as she continued on after reading a few pages.

"The book says that survival depends heavily on being able to keep what you have safe and secure. There's a note that says the likelihood of pandemic disasters greatly increases if you notice signs such as looting, disappearance of average people, and hospital overflow. I think we need to consider that our most likely option at this point. In the event of a catastrophic disease a citadel is the best long term defense if given enough advanced warning to prepare. There is a list of spells, potions, and wards on the next page that will take roughly 3 days to prepare once we have found a property. We will need to find somewhere on a ley line with a lot of open space," Hermione began flipping through the book until she found another chapter entitled, "Tapping the Earth's Magical Veins: Leylines Across Our World." At this, she stopped to peruse a map. She produced another quill to mark likely places before putting a large X on the map.

"Harry, the largest untapped leyline is in America. It would be large enough to sustain the kind of compound we need plus more. All of the leylines in Britain have been built upon for thousands of years, so it would be nearly impossible to stay here unless you were already atop one. The only place I know of with that kind of location in Hogwarts, and you know as well as I do that they are still working on repairs." Hermione paused to let Harry digest the information.

"Alright, just tell me where we need to go Hermione. We can do this." Harry reached across the table to give Hermione's hand a quick squeeze. The conversation weighed heavily on them both, but there was no time to waste.

Hermione gave Harry a shaky smile and pointed to the large X on the map right outside Atlanta, Georgia in the United Stated of America.

Harry and Hermione paused their planning session to do two things that couldn't wait. First, Harry wrote a short message onto a slip of parchment that he copied 7 times before handing them to his temporarily rented owl Nightshriek. The message would be delivered to the parties they felt like they could trust, and they could only hope they would be followed. In the next hour, Neville, Luna, Bill, Charlie, Fred, George, and Viktor Krum would receive a message that brought fear and trust in equal measure into their hearts before they began to plan. The message in Harry's scrawl read, "Superbia ejus, et leo suscipit. Danger is coming, prepare for the end."

Next, Harry and Hermione apparated outside of Gringotts Bank to gain a bevy of information about America and different items they would need to procure by the end of the week. After meeting with Rhuurthuuc they knew of a property outside of Atlanta that could be altered for their purposes, and a team of goblins had been sent out to build and reinforce walls as well as place underground and in wall wards. They had acquired the addresses of hospitals, medic shops, potion supplies stores, and apothecaries in both the muggle and magical world alike. Harry had to part with a truly insane amount of gold for the wards, but some of the panic had abated knowing that the best warders he knew would be preparing his home. Afterall, what good would money due with existence on the brink?

Exiting the bank was a strange event as they entered the hustle and bustle of Diagon Alley. It seemed to be a busy day, and true to what they knew there was a line around the corner of both the potions supply store as well as the apothecary across the block. Deciding they could always hit up one of the stores on their list later (possibly after hours) they went to a magical grocery and began to clear the shelves of nonperishables and equipment. Rice, soup mixes, dried meats, lard, granola bars, every seasoning imaginable, bottled drinks, flour, and pasta were plentiful. It was clear that meat would be an important part of their survival that could not be stockpiled long term.

In another section of the store they loaded small ice chests, silverware, books on household charms, wand cleaning kits, toiletries, and alcohol into the cart. While it was not their goal to get drunk, Hermione knew alcohol was beyond useful when it came to weapons creation, medical needs, and even food preservation.

They rolled to the counter with 4 carts, and having been assured by Gringotts that whatever they had delivered to their new property could be added to the storage unit of their new home, he wrote his new address on a magic receipt that would send their supplies directly after he paid.

This sort of activity was repeated at every store in Diagon. Wands with even a vague connection to either of them were purchased from the wand shop that replaced Olivanders. 10 new owls were purchased from Eyelops Owl Emporium for breeding and contact. Books on defensive magic, offensive magic, medicine, foraging, inventing, technology, animal rearing, and communal leadership were purchased and sent to their compound. A trip to Madam Malkins had them outfitted with muggle clothing equipped with protective spells as well as high quality gloves, boots, and coats for the winter. Several sets were purchased in addition to their own in a variety of sizes "just in case." They even stopped in at the Magical Menagerie to see if they could find a magical variety of herding dog or farm animals that might be hardier. Harry was able to purchase a family of herding dogs from Bulgaria that knew verbal and magical commands. The female dog had just had a litter of puppies with a proud male who assessed Harry with a critical eye before allowing him to approach.

The farm animals were harder to acquire, but they were given a name and address for a breeder they could contact tomorrow. He specialized in pigs, but he also dealt in cows and chickens. They were well on their way to sustainability.

Before they left the Alley they went by Fred and George's joke shop. It had taken time to repair it from the continual raids on Diagon during the war. Once it had been returned to it's former glory it was never left empty. Customers bustled in and out, and it was the only place in the Alley where wide smiles were more popular than nervous glances and worried eyes. As they entered, George locked eyes with Harry and Hermione before bustling them to the back. He sent a spell to Fred to close the shop for lunch, something they never did, before starting to hustle customers out the door. After several moments, the store was closed and the twins met them in the back.

It was probably the most serious anyone had ever seen the twins.

"What's going on Harry – what do we need to do?" As always the twins talked seamlessly blending their sentence together. They eyes focused on Harry as they moved closer together in comfort.

"We don't know. Something is happening. Something life changing. Have you noticed a change in the alley? Patrons seeming tenser than usual? Line for some stores increasing exponentially without reason?" Harry shifted from foot to foot.

"Yes. Our business hasn't been down, but parents stick closer to their children. The apothecary and potions shop always have a line, and Slug and Jigger both say they've had to hire multiple potions makers to keep up with demand. How serious is this?" At this, they both turned their eyes on Hermione.

"From what we have estimated, incredibly. It could be the end of civilization as we know it. Our best guesses are warfare similar to Voldemort or a massive pandemic, a plague that could kill millions or billions of people. We began preparing today, and we found a property in America that will be ready in 3 days' time. We've sent messages to the round table to prepare as well. Your brothers all know, but Ron doesn't believe. Weasley Manor is not safe. You'll need to move your parents and band together with your brothers to fortify a property. Our research shows that somewhere along a leyline is the safest for warding and protection." Hermione paused. She wanted to beg Fred and George to come with them, to come to safety, but she knew they would never leave their family. The Weasley's would never leave Europe.

Fred smiled kindly, if weakly, before responding, "Fleur's parents have a manor in France on a leyline. It's out in the country near Alsace, and I'm sure we can convince Bill to fortify if he hasn't already. We'll move everyone we can within the next few days. We trust you."

They all moved forward for a hug. A circle of arms clung tightly to each other knowing this could be their last contact for some time. They could only hope the small warning would be enough to save those they loved.

Fred and George grabbed boxes of products for Harry and Hermione before handing a magic receipt over so Harry could transport them to the compound. The twins had been invaluable during the war, and their "prank" weapons had saved each other, as well as others, multiple times. With a promise for contact soon, Harry and Hermione left to continue gathering as much as they could.

It turned out that possibly the most useful place was The Junk Shop. Among its dusty and seemingly completely unorganized odds and ends they were able to find things they would never have thought to put on their list. Iodine tablets to purify water, water jugs, walking sticks, climbing gear, magical tents, boxes upon boxes of tennis shoes, shower shoes, gloves, and socks. Furthermore, though Hermione seemed completely disgusted with their surroundings, they were able to procure some farming equipment that the store owner thought was broken as well as a veritable cornucopia of seeds in a self-preserving kit guaranteed to keep them fresh for at least 5 years.

They returned to Hermione's flat feeling better about the future and grim about all the work that lay ahead of them. Hermione began to pack every available resource in her flat while Harry took the letter that Nightshriek had delivered while they were gone. Neville Longbottom had replied.

"Lion, Looney and I received your message loud and clear. Gred and Forge wrote about leylines, and the manor is properly outfitted for the long-haul. Looney and her father are already here as well as warders. We are working to bring the townsfolk into the manor's borders. Be safe. We love you. We shall not fall."

Harry felt pride fill his chest at reading Neville's words. If nothing else, he had helped a friend. There was a chance.

After a brief chat with Hermione, Harry left to pack up his own flat. He had cleared 12 Grimmuald Place out after the war. It had too many terrible memories, but he couldn't let Sirius' things be demolished. He took everything he could before allowing the wards to fall and informing the ministry that it should be removed from the block.

He shrunk and packed his bed, linens, curtains, toiletries, food, trunk, and anything that wasn't nailed down. With the gentlest of care he packed the photo album Remus had given him, his parents wedding rings, and his favorite photos from school. He took Slytherin's sword from the wall it had been mounted on since the war and strapped it to his back. The sword had mysteriously appeared in Harry's trunk after the defeat of Voldemort. He shrunk Nightshriek's cage and put it in the bottomless bag. He put some nonperishable items in a box on the floor near the door before writing a note and leaving it on the sofa table.

"I did my best. All hope is not yet lost. Save who you can, and I hope the food helps."

Then, taking a last look around and holding tightly to his things, Harry apparated from his flat for the last time.

That night, at exactly 11:59 pm, a rash of robberies would occur at a variety of locations all over the world. Hospitals, drug stores, groceries, farm annexes, weapons shops, home repair/improvement stores, department stores, and more would report the robberies in the morning to police that were quickly becoming overwhelmed by more and more bizarre cases of people biting other people and eating human flesh. The robberies would, of course, be ignored.

Unlike the stockpiles gained from magical stores, all of the muggle goods had to be transported by Gringotts Bank. After signing away more money, it was done.

At exactly 2:01 am a series of magical shops around the world would be carefully broken into in the same way. Potions, ingredients, cauldrons, stirring rods, portable kits, emergency kits, mastery kits, and more were taken in massive quantities from apothecaries and potions shops. Trunks were stolen from supplies stores as well as bottomless bags. Even jewelry stores reported missing goods, particularly on items that had been charmed for health and protection. As the Ministry and the Auror Department began receiving strange calls from terrified witches and wizards about crazed muggles and magic users the robberies were left for lesser wizards to deal with.

At 3:30 am Harry and Hermione decided to take a brief nap in shifts. While one slept, the other would be reading and planning various things for the compound. They would make a list of ideas and needs for the other to read upon waking. Harry sent Hermione to bed while he popped about their temporary resting spot.

After breaking into several magical shops they had decided that it was time to make their way to America. Gringotts had kindly provided a portkey upon their last trip to the bank, and they did not fail to see the irony as they journeyed to America clutching a string of pearls. A similar portkey and explanation would arrive for Hermione's parents in 2 days time when the citadel was completed.

With a swirl of lights and a pulling of the navel, they found themselves in a very closed food shop in Atlanta, Georgia. With a quick lumos it was clear that groceries in America were unlike anything either of them had ever seen. Aisles stretched onward endlessly pack completely full of items of all varieties. It wasn't just food, though there was an enormous supply of that, it was blankets, pet supplies, gardening equipment, toys, clothing, medical supplies, and nearly anything else once could think of finding. There was an entire section dedicated to disaster preparedness that had generators, gas, batteries, solar shower and greenhouse kits, veterinary equipment, crank radios, portable stoves, heat retaining blankets, etc.

With Hermione sleeping a few rows away with a monitoring charm on her form, Harry began to loot. They had stolen upwards of 15 bottomless bags. Bottomless wasn't really an accurate name as each bag could truly only contain about 5,000 pounds before the charm would fail and everything in the bag would be destroyed.

Harry performed a charm that numbered each bag. Then, he placed a weight detector charm on each bag before beginning to load them up. Anything of use went into a bag. Bags 1-3 were filled with items exclusively from the disaster preparedness aisle. Bags 4-9 were filled exclusively with food and gardening equipment. While Harry would love to clear the shelves of all food, it was truly pointless as it would go bad before they could ever think of eating it all. Only items with long shelf lives were put into the bags.

After expending magic packing and labeling, levitating and shrinking, Harry could feel his energy fading. He wrote a quick note to Hermione explaining what he had done while she slept. He emphasized the importance of proper clothing, medical supplies, hygiene products, and household items before canceling the monitoring charm and waking her gently by calling her name. In times such as these, a hand to the shoulder while sleeping was more likely to terrify than soothe.

Hermione woke slowly, rubbing her eyes while running fingers through her hair. She noticed Harry looking exhaustedly towards her hastily prepared bed as she rose and gestured for him to go to sleep. He climbed into her vacated place and instantly fell asleep as only one who is bone tired and full of trust can. She put up a monitoring charm, read Harry's note, and snorted as she realized all he had done. Of course he was tired, he had packed far more than she anticipated.

A sign on the door noted that the store would open at 9 am. Hermione estimated that employees would probably come to prep the store at 7, so she didn't have much time to do what was necessary and get the hell out with Harry in tow. It was already approaching 5:30, and there was still much to do. With a quick tap of her wand and a mumbled spell she set an alarm for 6:45 and got to work.

They knew they wouldn't be alone in their compound, at least not if things went right. Harry did a fabulous job preparing for them, but Hermione was a female and knew that there were things outside of food and medicine that were necessary for life after the end of what they knew.

Her first stop was to the hygiene section where she took every box of tampons and pads that she could find. Even things like pregnancy tests, condoms, and emergency contraception went into bag number 10. While the aisle wasn't sparse, it was clear that the store liked to keep these items on limited supply. She accioed the rest from the back and watched as the weight tracker tick up on the bag. Finally, she cancelled her accio and continued to another aisle.

Bag number 11 was for infant supplies. Harry had picked up things here or there, but he mostly left this section alone. Having never truly been around babies, Harry didn't really know what to get. Hermione shrunk nappies, bottles, dummies, cereals, formula, nail kits, nose bulbs, toys, and clothes for all weather types. Blankets, booties, and furniture made their way into the bag as well. Though Hermione could transfigure a cot, it was much safer to purchase one.

Bag number 12 was filled with alcohol.

Bag 13 was for entertainment. While they couldn't guarantee that they would have power, wizards had done well enough without it for thousands of years. She grabbed things that were familiar and unfamiliar that would bring comfort to survivors. Card games, board games, balls, handheld video games, game cartridges, and batteries. So many batteries. If there was one thing she recalled from her muggle childhood it was that nothing came with batteries and running out was a constant. Dolls, action figures, stuffed plushies, and even crafting supplies like knitting needles, yarn, plastic looms, etc. To each their own she supposed, and all the better to preserve those skills for the wool their sheep would produce.

Bag 14 was filled with school supplies. Harry might not know it, but she imaged plenty of children within their walls. She might never see Hogwarts again, but she damn well would ensure that the next generation was educated when they were safe. Pencils, sharpeners, paper, notebooks, pens, marked, colored pencils, glue, string, rulers, math tools, printer paper, printers, laptops, desktops, highlighters, folders, binders, and educational games filled the bulk of bag 14. The 50 pounds she hadn't filled she devoted to candy and chocolate. While the shelf life wasn't enormous, it would be good to provide treats to the children. All of the food was, per Hermione's ingenuity, placed into zip lock bags via a convenient lunch preparation spell.

There was of course two more things she knew for a fact that Harry hadn't considered. Having lived in the dark and dim almost exclusively his entire life, Harry had failed to plan for darkness. He played with the spiders in his cupboard as a child, and the fear of darkness was something he no longer had. Regular civilians would still struggle with it immensely. Flashlights were all well and good, but the batteries would eventually run out. With that, she made her way to candles and packed up the whole lot.

While on the run in the Forest of Dean, they had a workout regimen of jogging 4 miles, using trees for pullups, ground pushups, etc. The muggles would need more equipment, especially the children who were unused to such practices. Jump ropes, weights, steps, yoga mats, blocks, and towels went into the bag. It was approaching time for her alarm to go off, so she put a little more hustle into her steps.

Fishing gear had not yet been obtained, and she didn't know enough to make the most of what was available. Bag 15 was basically full, so options were limited. With a quick call to Gringotts via patronus, Hermione acquired an incredibly illegal magical receipt. She used a spell to copy over the items she wanted – polls, coolers, bait, fishing line, nets, traps, hooks, spare parts, etc. – and had the items transported to the compound. Right as the alarm began to sound, Hermione apparated to Harry's bed on aisle 10 to find him already awake and blearily rubbing at his eyes. He ran a hand through his messy hair and offered her a weak, but genuine, smile.

"Time to go then, eh?" His voice was gravely with sleep. Time was up, it was time to apparate back to the compound. They would have to do it separately so as to take all of the supplies.

"See you in a minute Harry, be careful." Hermione popped off with bags 8-15 strapped to various parts of her body. She would probably fall to a heap wherever she landed, but that was a small price to pay.

Harry took a last look around before noticing a crossbow that must have escaped their earlier doings. He grabbed it, strapped the bags to his body, and apparated to Lion's Lock outside of Atlanta, Georgia. He watched from his place on the ground as Hermione headed up the path towards the gate.

They were home.

Unfortunately, the Costco in Alexandria would not open to public that day. The doors would remain locked as crowds of people nervously milled about for an hour or so before deciding to depart for the next place. The manager of that particular Costco, David Brown, had gone to a birthday party for his daughter's friend the night before. Halfway through the party a girl of about 6 came down from round the block with a head wound and blood pouring down her face. Oddly, there seemed to be a lot of blood around her mouth. While trying to assist the girl, she bit him. He went to the hospital later that day, but there was nothing they could do. With a morphine drip in his arm and a fever raging through his body, the hospital administered their last dose of lethal codeine. He passed away in moments, and the hospital staff called in the military to help put down the incoming patients.

In a room not far from David's demise, Rick Grimes lay in a coma oblivious to the chaos in the halls. The hospital hadn't been overrun yet, but it was truly only a matter of time. Shane had been out on calls for the last 2 days straight that made no sense. Finally, he had a chance to visit his friend.

"Rick, buddy, you gotta get up. Things are getting real bad out there, and we need you. Your family needs you. I know things aren't great for you right now, but you've gotta be strong." Here, Shane grabbed Rick's hand for a quick squeeze. They were brothers in all but blood.

"I'm going to take Lori and Carl out to the cabin before they close the roads. We've got food and supplies up there that could last for years if we're careful. I hope you can make it man. I'd drag your ass out of here if they would let me. You know I would. I'll see you when you wake up." Shane leaned in close for a quick hug, one that was not returned, before scrawling the address of the cabin on Rick's arm in sharpie. There wasn't any paper in the room, so had to make due.

Things were getting crazy in the hospital. It didn't seem like anyone had checked on Rick all day, so Shane made a plan. He barricaded Rick's door from the inside with the dresser, tv, and chairs in the room. He even moved Rick's bed up against the door for added weight. Then he climbed out the third story window and shimmied his way down ledge by ledge until he hit the ground. As his feet landed with a smack, he heard gunshots from inside the hospital.

He ran back in to do what he could for Rick. The inside was complete chaos as men in military gear went down the hall in waves evacuating doctors and shooting patients. If a doctor or chart said a patient had been bitten, scratched, or mysteriously cut then the patient was shot in the head and dragged outside. Rick was safe with his gunshot wound. Shane slammed whatever he could against the door. He wedged a towel under the door in case Rick made noise when he woke up before grabbing a dresser from the room next door. There was blood everywhere, but there was no time to investigate.

With a shove the dresser was in front of Rick's door as well as a rolling gurney. It wasn't much, but it was all he could do. He ran behind the counter while the men were dragging out bodies and took the meds he knew were useful. He didn't know much, but penicillin and amoxicillin were familiar. Bandages, vitamins, etc. were all jammed into the police duffle bag on his shoulder before he hoofed it out the door with a prayer.

Hopefully, Rick would wake in the next day or two and meet him at the cabin.

Shane didn't know he would never make it there.

\- Author's Note-

That's all for now! I hope you enjoyed my madness.

Superbia ejus, et leo suscipit means the lion protects his pride.


	2. Howdy Neighbor

Last time on Paranoid or Prepared…

Hopefully, Rick would wake in the next day or two and meet him at the cabin.

Shane didn't know he would never make it there.

 **-Now On POP-**

The walk up the drive took longer than expected. From their apparition point it was roughly 20 minutes up the path, but they couldn't apparate further with the perimeter wards already in place. They lugged the bags up the hill with them as no more magic could be placed on the delicate physics of the bottomless bags without consequences. As they came to the top of the hill, they caught their first glimpse of their new home.

It was unfinished. At this point it was more walls than anything else, but by the end of tomorrow it would be battle ready and nearly impenetrable. They could only hope to Merlin that the world would hold on that long.

Once they reached the gate they had to input a code for electronic entry. The entirety of the property would be outfitted to run on a combination of solar power and energy from multiple generator across the property. The solar collectors should work for a majority of the small jobs across the area with the generators acting as a backup option in case of system failure.

The construction crew was busy in teams of 4 creating and finishing the structures around their compound. A team was by the gate setting up multiple reinforced walls of varying heights. Embrasures or "arrow slits" as they were more popularly known were installed into high points on walls 2 and 4. Wall 1 would be made of reinforced steel that could be electrified as a battle measure and deterrent.

Putting the code into the gate, a code only the foreman under oath and Hermione and Harry knew, they finally entered the main grounds. The main house was unfinished, but it would be a thing of beauty upon completion. It was no manor, but a 3 level house with a hidden, underground basement. The rest of the compound was separated into areas according to need. To the left of the house were living quarters for families. 8 homes seemed a feasible amount to house within the walls without straining the area. Each house could currently hold a family of 9, so strangers may be getting a little comfortable together if families couldn't be found.

Housing for farmhands and single workers were to the right of the house closer to the fields. A large apartment style building had been built two stories tall in a U shape. Each side of the U contained 10 studio apartments on the bottom and 9 on the top. The extra room on the top floor could be used for recreation and was currently being soundproofed by the magical foreman. Because of the U shape, another 10 bottom and 9 top apartments lined the other side for a total of 28 apartments. In the bend in the middle of the building was a communal kitchen that any tenant could use – again, one on top and one on the bottom. No one would be living glamorously, but comfort and livability wouldn't be completely sacrificed.

Hermione set to banishing the items in their bags to the correct places. She had always been a firm believer in the saying, "a place for everything, and everything in its place." While Hermione set off in the direction of singles housing, Harry approached a very commanding looking wizard whose hardhat read foreman across the front in large letters.

"Mr. Potter! I'm Jess Collins. Don't get a lot of rush jobs like these nowadays. Rest assured, we are on schedule to finish the main house by this evening so that y'all can rest. Solar panels can't be mounted until the wards have set for at least 8 hours, so we can hopefully get to that by this afternoon. Solar showers are going in with 2 near the fields, 6 near singles housing, and 6 near family housing at present. I noticed you hadn't ordered a rain water collector and wanted to talk to you before you get going on all this other stuff."

Harry shook hands with the foreman at the beginning of his speech, and payed close attention to the words and tension in the foreman's body. This was a man who knew what he was doing, but was also smart enough to realize that no one built something like this for no reason.

"Yes sir. Hermione's the brains of this outfit, but I'll do my best. Could you explain the necessity before I sign off?"

"Rain water collectors are a purely muggle invention. It seems like this property is going off grid. That would mean that pipes connected to water would no longer be reliable for clean or constant water. I've done several jobs like this sir, and with the amount of housing and the variation of activities including farming, I think you'll want several underground barrels buried around the property connected to a filtration system and piping. Atlanta has had droughts before, and a system like this could also buy you some time if you need to water crops between rains. I'd set you up with whatever system Hogwarts uses, but even after a thousand years no one can figure out how the hell to make plumbing work the way the founders did."

The foreman gesticulated with his hands a ton while he talked, but his southern drawl had a way of putting Harry at ease.

"Of course, that's brilliant! Do whatever you think is best, and I'll sign off on any changes in the contract. I know we also didn't initially have any wells on property and wanted to ask if there was something we could do in that regard. We have some bottled water, but we didn't really make it a priority." Harry fiddled with his fringe as his thoughts went a mile a minute. Even with all the talking and preparation they had done, there was still so much that could go wrong, so many plans not made that could lead to their death. Water. How had they not thought of water? Despite popular though, the aguamenti spell couldn't create clean water from nothing. It merely summoned water from the closest available source. If there had been no water on the property…there was no telling what might occur.

The foreman smiled before shifting his feet somewhat nervously and taking a deep breath.

"Sir, if I may ask…with a job like this on a time rush like I've never been under…I've got a daughter. She's six and a half with the most beautiful crooked smile I've ever seen. Do I…do I need to be worried?"

Harry assessed the foreman. He was a strong man, maybe around the age of 35. He was clearly intelligent and good at his job. He had a family, and if anything mattered to Harry…well, protecting an innocent child had to be it.

"We aren't sure of anything, but something feels wrong. I don't know what it's like here, but things were happening in Europe that led Hermione and me to think we needed to prepare for something major. Feelings that are making me give up all my gold in Gringotts in hopes of making it through. I know a feeling isn't much to go on, but we lived through a war. I've read somewhere that being close to danger makes you more aware of it before it comes. Something feels wrong, and we won't go down without a fight."

Harry paused again to assess the foreman. Here was a man who had led, what Harry assumed, a completely normal life up until this point. He got a decent job, was raising a little girl, and was completely unprepared for something like this to happen.

And yet…here he was in Harry's path at the exact right time and place.

"Mr. Potter…thank you. It couldn't have been easy to reveal that information, but I know its true value." The foreman had tears in his eyes, and Harry could only imagine what he was thinking.

What would this mean for this man? To go home from work one day with the knowledge that the world may be ending. That his little girl would either grow up too fast or die trying.

Harry made a decision.

"Mr. Collins, this may sound abrupt, but with the situation as it is I think you'll excuse my brevity. I want to offer you a spot here. Someone will need to keep this place running, and you clearly know what you are doing. It would be your responsibility to keep the daily operations of our buildings and equipment running, and I know that could be a monumental task. I want you to bring your daughter, if you are willing, and stay here. If you have a wife, she is of course welcome as well. You have a place here if you want it."

Harry found himself bundled into Jess's burly arms by the end of things. There may have been a few tears, but Harry was never one to call someone out on bursts of emotion.

"Of course. I'll pack our things as soon as I get home tonight. It's just me and Bella at home, but I've got some nephews I would like to warn as well. I swear to you on my life that I'll keep this place going." Jess smiled fiercely as he felt his protective instincts towards Harry and his new home grow.

Harry nodded along before asking, "what about your nephews? Do you think they would like a spot as well? If they work as hard as you and have as many skills then they would, of course, be welcome."

Jess smiled at Harry. "They're squibs sir, but they know what it takes to survive. My brother ain't the best man, and their mama died when they were younger. It's been just them two for so long they might as well be the only two in their world."

"Let them know where we are, and we will leave it at that for today. It will probably be unnecessary, but bring your things over tonight if you can Jess. We don't know how long until things devolve. We're hoping time is on our side, but…" Harry trailed off as he couldn't complete the sentence without mentioning his running relationship with bad luck.

"I understand sir. It will be done." Jess smiled at Harry before getting right back to business discussing wells and calling a friend with a divining rod from a few towns over to find a few spots for a few wells.

With that sorted, Harry felt a huge weight on his chest shift. They were recruiting, and so far he had made a good choice. A strong, able bodied man and his daughter would be making their way to the compound that evening. The possibility of two more strong men a pleasant hum in the distant thoughts plaguing his mind.

And if a thought slithered through Harry's mind about managing to keep the only other man with a code to their gate…well, the hat did try to put him in Slytherin.

A quick patronus to Hermione later with the news, and Harry apparated to the address of the farm animal breeder he had retrieved the day before. He had an appointment at 9 after all.

Apparating in to the farm animal breeder's compound in Biloxi felt like falling asleep after a long night only to wake to a most hideous nightmare. There were no animals to be seen, only blood and detached body parts. A fire blazed in the distance and the wind brought with it the smell of burning flesh. The place had been razed to the ground, so Harry left without so much as a by your leave.

With a pop, he left as quickly as he came. He wasn't around to see when a man leaking entrails and brain matter rounded the corner of the barn with a snarl.

"Hermione, we've got problems!" Harry yelled upon his arrival. He watched her jog over with a grimace.

"Are you hurt? Do I need a med kit?" She asked frantically. Harry was known for getting injured, and neither of them were truly trained in healing magic. It was one of their biggest worries about what they were taking on.

He waved off her concern, "I'm fine, but we're going to need to move up the estimate of lockdown. I went for my appointment with the magical farm breeder only to find a destroyed farm and flayed remains. I didn't stick around for long, but I saw bite marks on some of the body parts. Whatever this thing is that's coming - it's not just military and it sure as hell isn't just a disease. It's almost like a combination. Those bodies were torn apart. That's a strange prerogative for anyone."

The bubble of safety that had been building popped. The additional information definitely changed things and lit a fire under their asses.

"We've got to get animals into the walls as soon as possible. The farm equipment needs to be handled, and we need to consider some more weaponized defences. For something to be able to do that shows that there was no remorse. We need to figure out how to keep out beings without a conscience in order to keep our people safe," Hermione said all of this in a rush, and he could almost physically see the gears turning in her head.

They could rest later. Right now, time was the most valuable thing they had, and they were running out much quicker than anticipated. Hermione made a note about their observations, copied it seven times, and called Nightshriek to send them off. At least they would be able to warn the others.

"Harry, ask if he knows of a reputable farm equipment and animal dealer in the area. If anyone would know where to go in a hurry, it's a local. I'll handle weaponizing things around here, and I'll oversee the final stages of the wards and walls. Even if we don't get all the buildings done in time, the wards will protect those inside."

With that, they went their separate ways. Hermione left to the library to see what solutions she could find that were lethal to outsiders. Harry jogged to to find a supplier for animals. Upon asking, the place he had just visited and found in bloody ruin was of course the first place mentioned. Without going into detail, Harry asked for a list of 3 or 4 more options and left in a hurry. Option 2 was outside Atlanta, and it was also a bust. This thing, whatever it was, was moving fast and without apology. Option 2 was literally on fire with animals squealing and crying out in fear. Harry was able to save a few by shooting off some quick body binds, but he didn't stick around. Apparating himself, 2 pigs, a cow, and a box of chicks back to the citadel raised some questions, but everyone was really too busy to notice. He removed the spells and sent a patronus to Hermione to make sure the animals ended up in the barn and coup as soon as she had a moment.

He popped into location 3 which was actually in Alabama with more success. It seemed that things hadn't yet gotten bad in this state yet. He quickly found the man in charge and bought almost all of what the man had available. 25 cows, 2 steers, 10 horses, 20 pigs, 3 roosters, a flock of 40 sheep, several lambs, 6 goats, and another set of herding dogs. If nothing else they would need breeding diversity with the animals in order to survive long term.

He was also able to procure feed for the animals, seed, irrigation equipment, and the basic tools needed for a small farm. Unfortunately, heavy machinery would have to wait. If worst came to worst, they could do a lot of the work on the farm with magic even if it would be exhausting and much more difficult.

Harry found himself dealing with a wave of guilt as he paid the man. His knowledge of events that had yet to come to pass could leave this man with a smaller chance for himself and his family. Hopefully, the man hadn't sold more than he needed to live. With things deteriorating, there wasn't honestly much time for frivolous feelings like guilt. With a promise to come back with a large transportation truck (purely for show) Harry shook hands with the man and left.

He used the next hour, the time he told the last man it would take to be back with a truck, to pop into location 4. This farm was in Ohio. Harry was sure that Mr. Collins never would have suggested it if hadn't known Harry was magical. Ohio was just far enough away that things still seemed somewhat peaceful. Harry was greeted as he made his way up to the business management building of the farming cooperative. He had transfigured several rocks into a truck that would give the appearance he was ready to purchase immediately.

The process continued with the addition of supplies to build outbuilding for storage as well as kits for coups and pens. 8 more horses, 8 more pigs, 12 goats, 12 sheep, and a bevy of hens later and men were loading up his "truck" as Harry paid the man. He was able to confund the man watching him leave into believing he drove away when in actuality he apparated the truck back to the compound before repeating the process at option 3. Animals were transported back for Hermione to deal with as Harry popped back to Atlanta. He asked for another list, this time for a water supply company that businesses used to supply employees with bottled water and large jugs for breakrooms.

In a normal situation, Harry might worry about muggles noticing him appearing all over the south in different locations all in one day, but it seemed fruitless at this point. He apparated to the water supply company, asked for a truck to deliver today, and purchased enough to fill the truck.

It was time for lunch. Hermione stopped Harry as he entered the compound so that he wouldn't forget to eat. They had a quick lunch of sandwiches and hot tea which was one of the few things Hermione could manage in the kitchen.

"The wards are completed around the entirety of the property. They finished on the north wall right before you got back. said the next step would be the main house. He's intending to add in blood wards so that no one can enter the house without being keyed in, and he said he could teach us the spell for it before he heads home in a few hours." Hermione was quick with conversation, especially when she didn't have to watch Ron's horrendous table manners.

"That sounds good. There are a few more things to take care of out in the real world before I'll join you tonight. In some ways, I'm glad it's just us two. Can you imagine the fits Ron would have thrown had he seen the spending we've been doing over the last few days" Harry was careful to only speak when his mouth was empty.

"He would have blown a gasket." Hermione's eyes crinkled with humor before filling with melancholy. "I miss him," she continued.

"I do too Mione, but he made his choice. His family will drag him somewhere safe even if he has to go kicking and screaming. He'll get through this too." Harry added confidently as he finished his meal and levitated the dishes to the sink. He had a slightly better handle on household charms than Hermione, so he set the sponge moving across the dishes with a quick spell.

"I'll see you tonight. If you think of anything that needs immediate attention, please send a note with Nightshriek. He might not be the friendliest owl, but he does seem to anticipate my movements before I've even decided on them myself." Harry left with a wave onto the next task.

There weren't many neighbors in any direction from their compound, but there was a family roughly 30 miles away. If the intel from Gringotts was correct then their family name was Greene. They ran a household farm, and Harry had every intention of going that way to judge their character and give a warning if he deemed them decent.

Prior to that errand he wanted to take care of gathering more food for the bevy of animals that had just joined his community. More seed would need to be procured, as well as hay, grains, etc.

Another concern was the lack of silos on their campus. He sent a patronus to Hermione requesting she bring that up with Mr. Collins before going to the local supply annex to arrange for the animal food to be delivered. Fortunately, the annex was open and Harry was able to place his order with ease.

With a near soundless pop, Harry arrived at the edge of the Green's driveway near a pleasant mailbox. He began walking up the long drive before arriving at the door. He rang the bell and waited for an answer.

"I've got it Hershel!" a kind woman answered the door with a smile and not a hint of suspicion. To be that innocent was truly a gift.

"Hello ma'am, I just moved into a property up the way about 30 miles and wanted to introduce myself." Harry began before being bustled inside in the proper Southern way.

"Oh dear, a new neighbor! How exciting! Hershel! Get in here, we've got company!" She bustled Harry over to the sitting room. Everything about the place reminded him of the Weasley's despite the obvious lack of magic. It was warm, inviting, and it was clear that the family who lived here loved fiercely.

"Have a seat honey, Hershel will be right in. My name is Annie, can I get you anything? A sandwich? Some tea? I think I detected a British accent?" Annie mad sure Harry was seat before rushing off to the kitchen for some tea. She grabbed a pitcher of iced tea and a plate of sandwiches she kept up for the girls and brought them to the sitting room table.

"Here you go! It isn't much, but I hope you enjoy." She took a seat across from Harry's place on a couch made for 2. As soon as she sat, an older man with plenty of pep came into the room. Harry stood, shook his hand, and sat back down.

"Welcome to our home, son. My name is Hershel Greene. Is there anything we can do for you? Sick animal maybe?" Hershel smiled, and it lit up his whole face. Harry's breath caught in his throat as he was fiercely reminded of Mr. Weasley.

"No sir, I actually just came around to introduce myself. I just built a place about 30 miles away, and it's a bit of a sore thumb around here. You see, I was rather famous in England for things I would rather not rehash. Things that happened during our war you see, so my place looks a bit fortified. I have a hard time feeling safe in normal environments, so I wanted to warn you in case you ever wanted to come out that way," Harry fibbed. There wasn't really a polite way to say you were worried about people trying to eat you.

"That's mighty kind of you Harry, and we would love to come up for a visit someday. Things can get a little lost out in the backwood, so would you mind putting your place on our map?" Hershel pulled out a weathered map that he used to find farms around the area and handed it to Harry.

"Of course," Harry responded taking the map and a pen, "Also, I couldn't help but notice you mentioned animals earlier, and my sister and I just bought a rather ridiculous amount that we worry about. Do you know much about animal care?"

"Absolutely! I'm the veterinarian around here, and I even have a look at people on occasion. If you ever have a problem with any of your critters just give me a call."

"Hershel, be a dear and grab that book for beginner's farm care from the den. It's not like we really need it around here. Consider it a welcome to the community gift dear!" Hershel walked out to grab the book while Annie encouraged Harry to eat.

Harry ate a few bites of an admittedly great sandwich before Hershel came back with a beaten up book.

"Whew, this saw me threw my first years, that's for sure. I hope you enjoy it Harry."

"Thank you so much sir. I'm sure I will be even more grateful after my first run in with something crazy on the farm." Harry paused wondering just how to bring up his suspicions. He liked the Greene's, and they seemed like truly good people. Good people were hard to find.

"While I'm here, have you all noticed anything strange on the news lately? I heard the other day that there had been a rash of cannibal cases near here in Atlanta proper."

"We don't put much stock in it, but we've heard the rumors as well. Haven't seen much out here that's out of the ordinary. Try not to think on it too much Harry."

"Well, if you ever do find yourself subject to crazy Georgia cannibals, feel free to come my way!" Harry joked, but it maybe came off a bit stiff.

"Ha, we will! Sounds like you've got yourself a base out there that we wouldn't mind crashing!" Hershel joked while Annie smiled.

They said their goodbyes with Harry promising to return for a visit when things calmed down at his "farm." Annie packed up a few sandwiches for Harry, gave him a hug at the door, and waved him off as he headed down the drive.

Making nice with the neighbors sure had some unforeseen benefits.

It had been a very busy day for Hermione. Helping out with the men working to right their walls had been eye-opening and taught her a lot about magical construction. She could only help for about an hour, but the men seemed grateful. She also conjured up a table and brought down some snacks and drinks from the main house for them, and it was really the least she could do.

Once that was done she returned to the main house to research weapons that would be a long term solution besides guns. They had managed to procure guns and ammo for any muggles that would be joining their camp, as well as themselves if they needed them, but guns might not work in all situations. The arrow slits would be helpful if they needed quiet, and they even had a few watchtowers posted around the walls. Somehow, Hermione thought that more might be needed.

Right now their greatest defense was that very few people even knew where they were. There were 10 men hired to work on their home, and each had sworn oaths on their magic to never reveal the location. It was very possible that some of the men might come to their location when shit hit the fan, but they wouldn't be able to reveal where it was without permission directly from Harry or Hermione.

After nearly an hour of research, Hermione hadn't made much progress. It didn't seem like there would be an easy solution. She had found an interesting note on land mines that seemed promising, but that would need to wait for a later date.

She took a break to unpack some of their supplies. While she had begun doing so the day before, there was still so much to unpack! The main house had been properly outfitted with the necessities, but the apartments and family homes were barren. They were just being finished as she walked outside and noticed the animals.

The pens and corrals and such hadn't been completed yet. Hermione put a perimeter spell that would keep the different groups in magically enclosed spaces for the time being. It would be tiring to hold the perimeter spells, and Mr. Collins assured her that all of the men could switch over to working on the necessary structures and finish them by that evening. Several men went out towards the fields to work on stables, while the rest went out behind the main house to set up the pig pen, coups, and additional housing for the animals when the weather changed.

The sheep and goats would be allowed to roam in a small pasture near the farm lands. In a stroke of genius, Hermione had actually designed it so that the compound was surrounded by fields in each direction with a narrow drive up the hill to their gate. Outside of the fields lay dense woodlands. The animals had a space surrounded by fields on 3 sides in the event that people tried to snoop. Keeping the animals closer to home base would keep them safe.

She levitated their bags closer to family housing and set to work unpacking. Kitchen wares, bedding, and toiletries were the bare minimum before moving to the next home. Each home would also be outfitted with an ice chest, but that could be accomplished tomorrow.

It took another 2 hours to complete the homes before she could move on to the apartments. However, the spells she was using were causing her to feel quite tired. After a brief chat with Mr. Collins, Hermione went inside to take a quick nap.

That quick nap turned into 4 hours of sleep, but she felt much better upon waking. Harry would surely be back in the next few hours, so she went off to finish her job. Singles housing was easier to outfit since each apartment only had a kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and living space. The linen closest were filled, kitchen wares added, and minor furniture put into each apartment. Harry came back after she had finished 6 apartments.

It was time for the men to go home, so Mr. Collins dismissed them until the morning. Their compound no longer looked like barebones house frames, and they couldn't be more grateful. Harry vowed to offer any man who had worked on the compound a spot the next day.

Mr. Collins taught them the spell needed to tap into and change the wards. It involved blood and some quick latin, but it was fairly easy to learn. Finally, Mr. Collins left to retrieve his daughter from daycare and pack up their things. He promised to be back later that evening so that he could settle into family housing.

Harry and Hermione adjourned to the sitting room in the main house to have a quiet meal. The day had been busy, so their meal was quiet apart from the necessary observations. The soup they ate was from a can, but it was warm and comforting nonetheless. After dinner Hermione and Harry walked out to the animals to put them in their new homes. Hermione was finally able to cancel the perimeter spells that had been draining her magic all day. The animals settled in for the night, and Harry was able to figure out how to feed them.

Hermione left Harry to it and walked up to the main house for a good night's sleep. The last few days had been a marathon, and she was exhausted. She picked a room on the main floor near the library, and she was asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Harry finished up with the animals while he waited up for Mr. Collins to come back. With the work stacking up around them, he wondered how they could possibly get it all done. Hopefully, some of the crew would stay on.

Headlights flashed near the gate signaling Jess' return. Jess entered the code and drove his car in to the lot they had designated for vehicles. Harry meet him at his truck so that he could help him with his bags. His daughter was fast asleep in the back, so Jess threw up a quick monitoring charm before grabbing some bags to take over to the house with a large number 1 nailed near the front door. Harry assisted with bags, helped Jess to unpack a few things for his daughter, and tried to offer assistance with doors and bags as needed. After enough progress had been made they made their way back out to the truck to pick up the sweetest little girl Harry had ever seen.

"What's her name," Harry whispered gently as Jess cradled the sleeping girl in his arms.

"This is Bella. She's been the light of my life for the last 6 years. Ain't she just the prettiest little thing you ever did see?" It was clear that Jess loved his daughter.

"She's lovely. We're so happy to have you here. I hope we can make something out of the mess that coming, and I hope Bella finds joy here." Harry smiled at Jess before leaving him to his evening in peace.

Walking up to the main house was almost surreal after the length of the day. That morning the compound had barely been just a gate, and now he was choosing his own room in a home he never would have thought to own just a week or so before. It was his home, even if it didn't quite feel like it yet.

He picked a room near the kitchen to make his own. After writing off a few letters to send in the morning to inquire about the state of things in England, Harry laid down to go to sleep.

Hermione's parents would arrive tomorrow, he would offer homes to the men working so hard on his estate, and there would surely be a million other things to do. Things were clearly getting worse, and time wasn't on their side.

It was pure exhaustion that led Harry to fall asleep. His mind continued going a million miles a minute as he dreamed of endless problems still yet unsolved. The night fell on Atlanta…

And the dead rose.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*  
Author's Note:

Thank you for the reviews, kudos, follows, and favorites! I appreciate the interest, and I look forward to writing more. I struggled a bit with the end of this chapter, but I hope it came out better than I feel like it did.

Eventually, I would like to add a romance element to this story between Harry and Daryl, but that might be a ways down the line. Right now I just want to set up a strong story logistically before diving into all the drama.

Please tell me what you enjoyed in the comments, and I will most definitely try to get another chapter out (with more TWD characters) soon.


	3. Beef Jerky and Jerks in General

**-Last time on POP-**

It was pure exhaustion that led Harry to fall asleep. His mind continued going a million miles a minute as he dreamed of endless problems still yet unsolved. The night fell on Atlanta…

And the dead rose.

 **-This time on POP-**

Hermione's dreams were full of fire and death, and if she had believed in the magic of Divination she might have believed that she was seeing a vision of the possible terrifying future that lay ahead. Body parts littered the ground, a barn was aflame in the distance, and a horde of monsters was approaching at surprising speed.

Though she could tell she was only in a dream, it felt altogether too real to simply be dismissed. The constricting power of devil's snare encapsulated her body as she struggled to breathe. The petrifying embrace of the basilisk immobilized her as she glimpsed him from the corner of her eye. She could not move as the shambling beasts moved towards her. She couldn't even scream. She could feel their teeth ripping into her flesh, the trembling of her hands as she tried to tear them off of her with no success. Finally, there was only pain and darkness.

She awoke panting and sweating profusely. Her skin crawled with the remembrance of being peeled from her bones.

However...she now had an idea.

When looking at magical means of protection she had only truly looked at offensive and defensive spells. She hadn't considered plants or creatures. Devil's Snare traps around the base could prevent a multitude of enemies from breaching their walls. While they couldn't house trolls or dragons, small magical creatures could be invaluable. Something as simple as pixies could be deadly when employed correctly. Perhaps it was time to take a page out of the Fred and George Prankster Handbook and get crafty.

The next several hours involved a scalding hot shower and a trip to the library with a notebook already overflowing with ideas.

On the other side of the house, Harry awoke at 5:30 am as was typical for his morning routine. He showered, put on some jeans, a shirt, and trainers, and walked to the kitchen to make breakfast. A short while later, waffles, bacon, and eggs were piled high in serving trays in the middle of the table they had taken from Harry's apartment.

After eating his fill, Harry set the dishes to washing in the sink before going out to walk the grounds. He wanted to get a good look at the property before being overwhelmed with the tasks of the day.

The morning was crisp with dew, and the sun had just begun to rise. It was spring, so the heat had not yet become unpleasant. He walked along the wall to check for any weak spots and see the space still left on the property. The grass was wet under his feet, and the sun shone brightly as if to spite the situation they found themselves in.

Two silos were being installed at the edges the barn. They had only laid foundation, but Harry could imagine them there as he pictured the future of their farm. The wells had been located the day before, but only one was completed. The work seemed infinite, and they were most certainly running on borrowed time at this point.

He moved at a steady pace toward the coups to feed the chickens. That being tended to, he moved to the barn to do the same for the animals that dwelled inside. He patted the horses and talked to them softly. Harry loved animals, and sometimes he preferred their steady company to that of humans. A horse would always want the same things it wanted every other day. There was safety and surety in that.

They didn't have saddles or any equipment for the horses, so that would need to go on the list for today. Afterall, horses weren't necessarily useful if they couldn't be used as transportation. It was their hope that the horses could be used for patrol once they found more members for their little community.

It was as Harry was walking out of the barn that he noticed ambling out of the house. Little Bella was by his side, and they made quite the pretty picture. Jesse towered over his daughter, but they had the same nose, the same kind smile, and the same tan skin. Jesse swung Bella up on his shoulders so she could get a better look, and she shrieked in glee.

For a moment, Harry was transported back to the war. There was a day near the end where he had done the same for Teddy. Freedom seemed fleeting back then, and he guessed it still was. One moment Teddy was changing the color of his hair from green to blue and holding on to Harry's hand like he was the only thing that mattered. The next, Teddy's lifeless eyes, his signature emerald green, stared up at him lifelessly from the ground. Oddly, the most shocking thing was the lack of blood. It seemed so fleeting, that little life he had just held in his hands, suddenly snuffed out like the light from a gleaming candle. It was then that he knew he would never be the same.

Life had always been precious to Harry, but he had known that death was just waiting around the corner to meet him. Multiple attempts on your life during your formative years could do that to a person. Teddy's death had left Harry a hollow shell unable to function for nearly a year. His every moment was haunted by the whisper of Teddy's laugh, the touch of his small hand on Harry's face, the joy he felt when changing to look like his godfather. He wondered if that was how Sirius had felt while wasting away in Azkaban. The futility of it all left him helpless.

Were it not for the kidnapping of Luna, Harry never would have come back to himself. Neville was frantic with worry when Luna was stolen away by Bellatrix Lestrange. His whole life had been stolen by the woman, and then she tried to steal his future. He went to Harry for help, and Harry could do nothing but go along. He went along to Lucius Malfoy's dungeon, and he went along when he used the bombarda curse to end the life of a very wicked witch. Luna was rescued and returned home safely, and yet he still felt as though he was a passenger in his own body.

He felt like he was along for the ride for the rest of the war. It was almost like he never really came back from Teddy's death. He still dreamed about Teddy's baby smell at night and dreamed of waking up to him jumping into bed with a shrill cry for breakfast. When he finally ended Voldemort, it was a hollow victory. The green light that killed Teddy was forever, and no amount of sorrow or retribution would ever bring him back.

Bella was a lovely and carefree child, and she could not help it if her presence reminded him of the greatest loss of his life. Teddy might not have been his in blood, but he was his in all the ways that mattered. The gentle tilting of her eyes was a bit like Teddy's and it honestly made it a bit hard to look at her without weeping.

" ! Can I go see the horses! I want to give them all a kiss on the nose!" Bella was loud in the way all children were. She did not realize the strength of her own voice, and for some reason that made him smile.

"Of course, sweetheart. Just make sure to stay on the right side of the pen. No sneaking in with the horses little lady." Harry waved them on to the paddocks for their visit. Jesse's smile could have lit the sky it was so bright. Maybe this would be a good day afterall.

Several of the crew started popping in for the day. Harry met them at the gate to let them in. So far only 4 of the 8 had shown up, but it was still early yet. Since it would probably be awhile, he went to have the dreaded "who to take to the end of the world" conversation with the crew. Of the 4, 3 shared his concerns while the other smiled and shrugged him off. Harry gave the 3 who were interested an hour break to go pack up their homes. Only one of the men had a family. He had a wife and a new baby at home, and his concern for them went a long way to easing Harry's nerves in regards to telling more people about his and Hermione's suspicions.

The man who chose not to leave went to work on building one of the wells at the back of the property. While slower with just one man, it would be a doable task. Harry made sure the man knew there would be breakfast sandwiches on the same table from yesterday before going to prepare said sandwiches.

Hermione came down while Harry was putting everything together. It was actually much easier for him to do it without magic, so Hermione set to making some lemonade and coffee for the men. Once done, they levitated everything outside before sitting at the kitchen table to make a plan for the day.

"I had a bit of a breakthrough this morning on our defences. I can't believe it took me so long to think of it, but magical plants and creatures in key points could really add to the safety of our walls. I was going to contact Neville today for the plants if you think it's a good idea. I'm not sure who to speak with in regards to creatures." Hermione took a sip of her coffee.

"Genius. It would have to be relatively subtle, but magical means are obviously the most secure in this instance. Muggles won't know what to do, and any magicals that come calling won't expect to me met with such drastic efforts. I can owl Bill about the creatures. If things are still alright in France then it shouldn't be that difficult. He may even appreciate the idea." Harry's eyes sparked. While this was another thing on their plate, it was almost a relief to know they had a solution. Walls might keep things out, but with enough bodies even their warded walls would topple.

"I need to get some gear for the horses today. I was planning on apparating out to a place in Texas. If there's anything you need I would like to know. I plan on buying whatever else they have in terms of animal care and feed," Harry spoke with confidence.

"About that, I actually thought it might be a good idea for one of us to buy some things for a war room. I've already planned out what we would need, but it might be better for me to go since I am more familiar and can improvise if needed." While it had never been implicitly stated, it was obvious Harry was keeping her in the walls as much as he could. She knew it wasn't a conscious decision on his part, but it was hard for Harry to trust. He had lost so much, it always felt to him that he was going to lose more.

"Of course. I'll stay back at base today, mail out the information and things to Bill and the others, and prepare the rest of the homes. The crew should be back soon to finish up the buildings and get settled." Harry smiled and reached over to squeeze Hermione's hand. He worried, but Hermione was the most capable witch he knew. Honestly, she was the most capable person he knew in general.

"Thank you. I'll obviously go to the place you wanted to go in Texas if you can supply me with a picture. Then I'll head over to Savannah for the rest. I'll let you know any oddities I observe." Hermione itched for a quill or a pen to make a list.

"Hermione…" Harry began, "I know you are smart. I know you're strong and capable. I don't want you to think I doubt those things. I just worry. Please, please be safe out there. I don't know what I would do if I lost you. I cling tightly because I never want to lose you, but I know how it feels to be locked up in a cage, and I want you to know that is never my intention." His hand shook as he gave hers a squeeze.

"I know Harry. I know. You're my brother, and I love you. I'll do whatever I have to do to make it out safely." She smiled to him, and all was well.

They parted with a hug as Hermione left to put on a modern defensive robe which looked more like a light kimono. Harry went out to the gates where they crew had arrived. He introduced himself to Kenneth's wife Alyssa before sending the small family off to House 1 to settle in. The rest of the crew was sent to singles housing to pick a place of their own. Harry asked the men to be back at work in an hour.

Hermione came out to say goodbye before apparating off to Texas.

Though he felt her absence, he still had a lot to do. He went off to the small owlery in the main house to find Nightshriek. It didn't seem fair to give him all the work when he was obviously tired, so Harry decided to use three of the new owls for letters today. He wrote a quick missive to Neville about Hermione's idea, an update and request for creatures to Bill, and a more general letter to Viktor. They hadn't heard back from him yet, and Harry was beginning to worry. All the letters were sent off with their respective owls before Harry set about replacing food and water for the rest. With a last stroke for Nightshriek, he left the owlery for the area of land where all the supplies still lay.

Thankfully, it hadn't rained in the last two days. Count your blessings he guessed. He intended to set up a small hospital today, a two room situation so that people could wait in one room while one of them worked in the next. He hadn't yet mentioned it to Jesse, but he figured it could probably be done fairly quickly.

He separated out the medical supplies from the rest before sending off a quick Patronus to Jesse with his request. While he was sorting out the food from the rest of their supplies he received a reply that Jesse personally would work on the hospital, and there was still an open plot of land between the main house and the front gate. It was far enough away from the main house while still being close to family and singles housing. It was really the best place for it. Now if only they could find a doctor.

Harry went inside to make a quick sketch of what the compound looked like so far, a few things he imagined but hadn't brought up yet, and the areas left they could still build on. He included the fields even though they had yet to begin tilling and planting.

There was a ruckus outside that had him shooting out of his seat and racing out the door. What met him was better and worse than what he imagined. Hermione was shooing concerned crewmen away from her as her head poured blood from a ragged wound. There was a large 4x4 pickup near her that was filled to the brim with horse supplies.

He rushed over to her only to be shooed away like the rest.

"I'm fine Harry, honestly! I had a blood replenisher in my pocket and it looks much worse than it really is. I was attacked once I began driving away. I made it out, but I don't know what happened to the man who helped me. I can only hope he is alright. The people that attacked me...they were like inferi. Some of them had terrible wounds, but they just kept moving. They rushed the truck which made it come to a halt and I hit my head on the steering wheel. I apparated away as soon as I realized what was happening. I made sure I hadn't apparated any of those monsters here before I put in the code and drove the rest of the way in."

Harry couldn't help himself as he squashed her in a hug. She was alright. She made it back. He calmed the racing of his heartbeat secure in the knowledge that Hermione wouldn't lie about her injuries. She hugged him in return before releasing him to cast a quick episkey at the gash in her forehead. Now that he was really looking, the blood had made the wound seem much worse than the reality.

"Inferi? There haven't ever been inferi in Texas!" The shout came from the man who hadn't believed in the crisis.

"Like inferi. They were different, less decomposed. Their eyes weren't cloudy like an inferior's either. They just seemed dead and angry. One of them had an arm and was chewing on it. I'm certain if they had more time they would have tipped the truck and I would have been next on the menu." Hermione calmly explained. It was not her way to give in to terror, though Harry could see an awareness in her eyes that hadn't been there when she left that morning. She had been scared, she just refused to show it to these men.

"Thank God you made it back alright. Men, we need to get back to work. The walls are warded, but I think this knowledge means even more warding, ward stones, and defenses should be put in place. We can put in roadblocks at the bottom of the drive, spikes along the outer walls, and anything else we can think of. It's time to move!" Jesse rallied the men. Most of them went off as he directed, though no one could go alone. Jesse and another man left to handle the drive, two went outside the gate to begin applying spikes to the walls. The spikes would be under heavy charms that rendered them invisible to muggles. 2 men left to place more ward stones. That left one man who was comforting Todd, the man who refused to leave earlier.

"Todd, it's gonna be alright. Harry will let you go to check on your parents." James had an arm around Todd, helping to hold him upright.

"Todd, please, go check on your family. I could never begrudge a man the safety of his parents. Bring them back here if you can," Harry's voice was soothing and seemed to lend Todd a bit of strength. With a bit more fire in his eyes, and a nod of determination, Todd went out of the main gate and apparated away.

James shot Harry a thankful smile. Hermione asked James to help her with getting the remaining supplies in their proper places and the bulk of the food into the main house. Harry wanted to begin preparing the fields as it didn't seem like there was any time to waste. However, if these beings were anything like inferi then he would need to be careful. Sound could still travel over their walls, so Harry left for the library to research more permanent noise deafening charms.

He got caught up in his work for more than an hour before he realized that Todd had never checked back in. He went out to the grounds to search, but Todd was nowhere to be else had made it back in the gates and were working on their respective projects, but Todd had never come back.

Harry said a quick prayer, a thought into the universe really, that Todd was alright and had merely been held up. Then he went to find Jesse.

Jesse was in the process of building the hospital while his daughter played nearby. She had somehow managed to wrangle one of the goats into following her around and letting her pet it. She was currently occupied with it's head in her lap as she lovingly stroked it's ears.

"Jesse, how is it coming along," Harry questioned.

"It's slow Harry, but it's definitely getting there. Now that we know more about what's going on I've tried to expand on our original plans. There are now three treatment rooms and a waiting area. Once the bones of the place are done I'll add the walls. I think it might be wise to add wards to each room individually in case we need to lock someone or something inside." Jesse was confident, but Harry seemed to bring out a certain nervousness in him. He looked for approval where he would normally be sure his ideas were the best.

"Thank you for thinking ahead. My brain can't seem to keep up with everything, and I'm glad I can trust you to think of things I wouldn't." Harry paused, but it was a comfortable pause. "Did you ever reach your nephews yesterday?"

Jesse's eyes were tense as he replied, "No sir. I went out to their cabin to check on them, but no one was home. That's not unusual for them, so I left a note my owl Zayne. I wrote down our emergency code, told them things might be getting crazy, and told them how to find the place if they could. I can only hope they got the message. Believe me, I would have asked to go again earlier if I wasn't all Bella's got. Right now we're safe behind the walls, and I can't give that up on a chance." Jesse cringed at how that sounded. He loved his nephews. He loved them with all his heart, but he had to think of Bella. His nephews were grown men, and they really stood a chance with all of their skills. If Daryl and Merle stuck together like he had taught them, nothing would be able to put them down. He had left them what they needed to find safety, now he could only hope that was enough.

"I understand Jesse. Don't let that guilt sit on your shoulders. You have a daughter to think of, and I'm sure your boys will understand that." Harry grabbed Jesse's shoulder briefly in comfort. He seemed to be doing a lot of comforting these days.

Jesse smiled gratefully before looking over to check on bella. She had fallen asleep overtop of her goat. It was times like these he wished he had a camera to document her every moment.

After struggling to talk about some lighter topics, Harry told Jesse not to exhaust his magic before he went around to check on the other men. James had gone to tell his wife of the new developments earlier, so Harry made sure to check on her and the baby as well. He cautioned her not to leave the compound, and to come find him or Hermione if she needed anything. She had brought some baby supplies with her, but Harry was suddenly grateful for Hermione's planning in their earlier robberies. They wouldn't need to venture out for the essentials for quite some time.

With a quick hug, Harry left the modest home. Todd had still not returned, and it was obvious that everyone was beginning to give up hope that he would. Besides that, the other 4 workers hadn't turned up today either. Their numbers were dwindling.

Harry turned to check on the animals in the barn once more, but something shrieked across the sky louder than almost anything he had ever heard. A bright light followed the object, and Harry could see fighter jets streaking through the air a fair distance from the object.

It passed quickly, but it left everyone uncomfortable. What could it have been? Were the inferi like creatures near? Jesse had put up perimeter wards earlier that would warn them if anyone came within a certain distance of their walls. So far, nothing had set them off. Harry asked all the men to climb the watchtowers and look around before coming to the main house for dinner. As they left to do as he asked, Harry and Hermione went to the kitchen to begin preparing. They had eaten far too many sandwiches the last few days, and they were able to prepare a proper meal with Abigail and Bella's assistance.

Several salad bowls were filled, and 3 pot roasts with sides were made. Everything had to be hurried along with magic, but it seems as though Abigail had more skill than either of them in that department.

The men who had been at the towers reported back. They hadn't seen anything usual outside of the gates, but it was definitely harder to see from some towers than others. Harry wondered how they could remedy that problem without demolishing parts of the woods which were acting as a strong deterrent from anything coming their way. He would have to knock heads with Hermione for some sort of solution – and quickly.

Food was brought over and placed on the expanded table. Mismatched seats from other places in the house were pulled up, and everyone began to eat. The atmosphere was happy despite the less than stellar events of the day, and everyone thanked Harry, Hermione, and Abigail for the meal. They spoke about Todd and their hopes that he would return. They discussed what needed to be done the next day, and someone made mention of a machine shop. Most of the conversation was light hearted, but no one could quite shake the tension that seeped into the air. Some of the men offered to clean up, and that was it for the day. They waved everyone off to their homes with a promise to see them in the morning bright and early.

Harry and Hermione left for the library. It was still early yet, and being able to take care of as many problems early on in this nightmare would make their lives easier down the road. The owls that had left that morning returned with missives for review. Neville had written back and said that he would be cutting plants for them the next day. Each species would need to be sent individually to prevent cross breeding. Thankfully, Neville had an entire owlery at his disposal at Longbottom Manor. He didn't want to waste time making a list, but he would include a variety they could use for different purposes.

Viktor had finally written back. Apparently things were much worse in Bulgaria then they had been in England when they left. Viktor had been fighting off undead creatures similar to inferi for over 2 days which is why he hadn't been able to respond. Thankfully, he was able to make it back to his parents home where they could take the floo to a friend's home. It had been a harrowing adventure, but they had made it. Viktor was especially thankful that his parents kept a watchful eye on his brother Aleksi. He had learned from his battles that nothing seemed to stop the beasts besides a blow to the head or decapitation. Unlike inferi, fire didn't make them stop. They didn't appear to be controlled by a master, and they tended to travel in hordes.

The second half of Viktor's letter inquired about how they were doing in the states. Hermione wrote about her experience from the horse depot that morning before handing the letter over to Harry so that he could provide details about the body parts he had seen. It was obvious that their situation wasn't quite as bad as Viktor's yet, but it was really only a matter of time.

Bill had also written to verify that he would send creature and that the Weasley family had safely absconded to Fleur's parents manor in France. Bill himself had put up the wards, but Diagon Alley was already lost. Just that morning a horde had razed it to the ground while witches and wizards screamed and ran in a panic. Fred and George had seen the start of the mess from their store windows. They managed to save a few by sneaking them in the store and barring the doors and windows. The were able to floo people to safety before they left themselves. What they had seen between helping the few they saved had been horrifying. The things attacking Diagon were gruesome, bloody, and some were missing limbs. They didn't listen to reason and only wanted to destroy. They bit into human flesh and ate what they could, but no body or meal seemed to hold their attention for long.

The wizards of England were unused to fighting. Some of the older Hogwarts students present that day had tried to help and banded together. They were able to make a small difference, but without the help of adult fully trained wizards there wasn't much that could be done. Many children had been saved and sent on to Longbottom manor. Many adults had hidden only to be found by the monsters.

Bill and Viktor's letters contained a wealth of information about what they were facing, and it gave Harry and Hermione new energy to realize just how deadly things were about to become. They again wondered over the noise of the day before deciding that it might be time for more raiding. Between the two of them and what they knew, it should be possible to visit smaller towns and take what they could. They might even venture into the city for some of the harder to find items. Hermione had been thinking about security ever since she got back from her quick trip that morning, and she had a plan to merge the best of the muggle and magical worlds for their safety.

At that moment, a bell went off from the front gate. The wards at them bottom of the drive had rang like a doorbell to alert them that someone was making their way forward. Harry and Hermione made their way to the gate with their wands lit and ready. It was hard to shake off the continued **DANGER** feeling they had both gotten while reading the letters.

When they arrived at the gate it was to the faces of Hermione's parents. They looked a bit worse for the wear, but they were unharmed. There were dark circles under their eyes, and they each carried a backpack and a bottle of water.

"Mum, dad! What happened to you?" Hermione was quick to unlock the gate, though she had discreetly cast several charms to make sure they were not under disillusionments or other spells.

"Oh, Hermione, we're so glad you're safe! This morning we heard screaming from some of the houses on our block. We had increased security at the house by barricading our windows and the doors the night before and I...I just don't know what would have happened to us if we hadn't taken your advice. We went to the upstairs with some food, water, and the portkey you sent us and prayed we would make it here. Your father took an axe to the stairs so that those things couldn't crawl up if the made it inside, but I worried that the portkey wouldn't work and we would be trapped up there. We pushed furniture to the top to block off the top of the stairs and went to our room to wait." Hermione's mum grabbed her in a hug while she choked out what they had been through. Her dad lay a hand on her shoulder and continued while broke down.

"It was terrible. These things came down the road in massive crowds and they didn't even look human. They grabbed people from their homes and bit them - tore them to pieces. Even the animals weren't safe. We could hear them banging on the windows and doors, and the moaning noises they made were impossible to ignore. An hour before the portkey was set to go off we could hear that they had gotten into the house. We never would have made it out without magic." Hermione's dad recounted the tale. It was clear he was torn up emotionally and mentally just like , but he was trying to stay strong for his family.

"Let's get you to bed. We can talk more about it tomorrow, but you are safe now. It's not just walls that protect us here, but magic and other means. I know it will be hard, but try to rest tonight so that we can continue making ourselves safe tomorrow." Harry comforted them as best he could, but he knew it didn't do much. There were some images you just couldn't get out of your head no matter what you did.

Hermione led her parents up to the main house to choose a room for the night. They could move to family housing tomorrow into house number 1 with Jesse and Bella.

Harry looked out into the night and wondered how many more horror stories he would hear in the coming days, weeks, months, and years. This was just the beginning after all.

He could hear animals out in the woods, the quiet hooting of the owls in the owlery, and even the rushing of a creek out in the distance. The night seemed peaceful even as he was learning it was anything but. With their citadel population growing it might be time to raid for more food. Tomorrow he wanted to check on the Greene's if they didn't show up at his gates. It was strange how 24 simple hours could impact the world.

Hermione came back and joined him in his peaceful moment. She leaned on his shoulder and breathed a deep sigh.

Finally, the moment ended with Hermione's whispered words.

"We need to go to are things we need in the city."

In a hospital near an outer Atlanta suburb, Rick Grimes took several harsh unassisted breaths before waking. Light spilled into the room from the partially open window and the sun was blazing directly into his sore eyes. It almost felt worse than the pain he could feel deep down in his very skin. He felt like he hadn't moved in weeks, and when he could finally focus on something he noticed that the muscles in his arms and legs seemed to have shrunk.

His chest was on fire. There was gauze all over it, and there seemed to be flecks of blood dotting the surface of the white bandages. He ripped the IV from his arm with profound difficulty. He needed to find his family.

As he sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed he noticed that he was closer to the door than he should be. It seemed someone had used the furniture in the room to barricade the door. He only knew of one man who would be in his room and knew how to barricade, and that was Shane. Shane wouldn't have done it without a reason, so Rick was careful to stay quiet and as alert as possible. He heard shambling sounds coming from the corridors. It sounded like slow stumbling movement, and then he could hear growling. Something wasn't right.

He raised his hand up to rub at his eyes and noticed a note on his arm in Shane's handwriting. It was smeared - like it had been written in a hurry. It seemed to be the address to a cabin that Shane owned that they had been to together a time or two. That was where Shane had taken his family.

For the briefest moment everything was in crystal clear focus. Danger lay on the other side of that door, and it must be out in the world as well. Shane wouldn't take his family away for no reason. If he wanted to find them he would need to be careful. There was no weapon in the room, so he would have to make due. He found a lighter Shane had left on the bedside table, and he also found a few bottles of water. All he could think to do was go out in the world unarmed or venture into the hallway to take the fire axe. It was a lose lose situation

After listening at the door and hearing more moans, he decided it might be best to check the window. He looked outside and felt true shock. There were bodies pilled out on the lawn. They were covered in sheets, but the blood on each showed that the cause of death was a GSW to the head. Nothing was moving, and parts of the hospital had been obliterated. It almost looked like a bomb had gone off.

Still, he would take an empty yard full of corpses over the danger that lurked right outside the hallway door. He carefully collected the supplies he had found and headed for the window. He made a climbing rope out of his bedsheets, attached it to the radiator, and began to climb down. It was a beautiful sunny day, but he wasn't fooled by the weather. The stink of corpses rose up to his note and he had to fight the urge to vomit. There wasn't anything in his stomach that could really come up, but he could feel the nausea threatening even his stomach acid.

He slowly made his way out of the hospital, the grounds, and through some sort of military cordon. Once through those obstacles, he began to make his way home. In the road near his house was half a woman clawing her way through the street. He watched, fascinated and traumatized, as she slowly made her way to him. Even with only half a body she was trying to attack. He would hate to meet one of these things with legs.

He made his way inside, barely, before collapsing against the door. Things seemed relatively quiet in his neighborhood, but he was trained enough in riot and disaster protocol to know that even the most calm situations could give way to death at the slightest moment.

He rested for a moment before moving whatever he could against the doors and windows. It was slow work, and it was immensely difficult with his weakened form, but he did it. He crawled his way up the stairs to the laundry room and locked the door. Thankfully, Lori had been washing the blankets and left them in the dryer in the hustle to get out. He shoved whatever he could move against the door, cocooned himself in blankets, and passed out.

Daryl and Merle had been out hunting for the last few days - Daryl for animals, and Merle for loose women. Merle had seen some shit in the city that had him running back with his tail between his legs. He made his way back into their cabin to find Daryl only to realize that his little brother was still out hunting in the woods. As it was, it would be easier to wait for him to come back then to go out looking for him.

Merle settled in for a wait with some jerky. Bitchface would be back before nightfall, and boy did he have some shit to tell him. He had just sat down in their old rocker, the one practically falling apart from age and use, when he noticed the owl sat by the window.

Their daddy had been a squib, and their Uncle Jesse always said it had made him bitter and hateful. He took that hate on them with belts and harsh words, and sometime he took it out in drink too. Will Dixon had been a hard man to love. An impossible man to love really. Merle found it hard to care that he had been found dead a few years back after a bar brawl.

Unfortunately, neither he nor Daryl were capable of doing magic. Jesse said the bloodline was still too weak and that maybe their children would have the gene. Still, they knew about magic, and right now Merle was damn glad they did.

He fed a piece of jerky to the owl while he slipped the letter off it's leg. It was a warning from Uncle Jesse with the address and a map of a safe house he knew about. It was magical, and he was sure it would hold. Jesse had put up some wards around their old cabin, but it had been years and they were probably weak by now. Hell, Merle would be surprised if the old place could even take a few licks before it fell to the ground.

Daryl walked in carrying a string of rabbits. It must not have been a good day for deer.

"Do you know about what's going on in the city," Merle started harshly. Daryl shook his head as he went out back to start cleaning his kills. Merle followed.

"They say the dead are coming back to life. I saw a woman get bit, a bunch of men down at old Johnson's bar too. It ain't safe out there anymore. Uncle Jesse sent us this letter with an owl. It says we need to make our way to a place out by Marietta. It's safe with magic, it's-"

Merle was cut off by a deep growl. A horde was coming out through the woods.

"Shit, get in the truck!" Merle and Daryl ran through the house, grabbed the keys, weapons, and whatever food was out, and hit the bricks. They gunned it to the truck and tore out of their home like bats out of hell. The map had been lost somewhere inside, but Merle could remember a vague location. They would have to go past the quarry to get there, and Merle barely had any gas from making it out of Atlanta that day. They would have to get as far as they could before going on foot.

If they could just make it to Uncle Jesse then they knew they would be safe. For now, all they had was each other, a weapon, and some week old jerky.

It was enough.

 **-Author's Note Updated:-**

I hope you enjoyed! I'm sure I missed a typo or two, but I tried y'all!

Please don't expect a chapter this weekend as my boyfriend and I are heading to the beach to celebrate Valentine's day.

The next chapter will cover some major events of the first season. Namely, the quarry, field tripping to Atlanta, Glenn, Merle being left on the roof,etc. I haven't worked out quite how I'm going to do it yet, so please give me a little time and patience.

This story is already a bit character heavy, but I'm hoping to narrow it down to the important players within the next two chapters.

This story will be slash as I mentioned in the last chapter. I had a comment or two that worried about that, so please leave now if you aren't into it. It will be a slow burn for sure, and I very much doubt it will get very graphic, but that is the direction this story is heading.

 **I feel like the above was clear, but I have had two negative reviews that were all about the slash element. Go away. Didn't your mamma teach you that if you had nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all? If you have a problem, go write something yourself. Don't think "guest" review is some sort of reprieve for your nastiness. I sure won't miss you when you're gone.**

P.S. For those of you who guessed who Jesse's nephews were - YAY! It's a reference to the video game, but I hope it wasn't too obvious :)


	4. Traps, Naps, and Saps

***-*-*-*-*-* Last time on POP *-*-*-*-*-***

"Shit, get in the truck!" Merle and Daryl ran through the house, grabbed the keys, weapons, and whatever food was out, and hit the bricks. They gunned it to the truck and tore out of their home like bats out of hell. The map had been lost somewhere inside, but Merle could remember a vague location. They would have to go past the quarry to get there, and Merle barely had any gas from making it out of Atlanta that day. They would have to get as far as they could before going on foot.

If they could just make it to Uncle Jesse then they knew they would be safe. For now, all they had was each other, a weapon, and some week old jerky.

It was enough.

 ***-*-*-*-*-* This time on POP *-*-*-*-*-***

The morning brought with it the arrival of several mysterious plants and animals. The items came in crates via owl delivery. One of the men who was familiar with magical landscaping would be opening each plant box to determine how each could be used best in their defenses. His name was Adam Shrivers, and he was actually excited for the prospect of using his creativity for a purpose.

Another man, Jim Grace, would be doing his best with the creatures. The trick would be finding a place in the forest close enough for each creature community to be beneficial to their protection while being far enough away to not act as dangers or pests.

Each man would take 2 men with him for both protection and utility. Many hands made light work after all, and light work meant fast. They were still presuming that things hadn't gotten as bad as they eventually would on the outside since they hadn't been severely impacted inside their borders.

Harry and Hermione had a plan for the day that included seeing to the Greene's down on their farm as well as making their way into Atlanta for surveillance equipment. It would be taxing on their solar panels to keep the surveillance equipment running 24/7, but it would be worth it to have an uninhabited view in all directions from their compound. Harry didn't know much about what would be needed outside of what he had seen in stores in London or on television, but Hermione was more well versed. He would be acting as her lookout and magical bodyguard while she bought or looted whatever they needed depending on how Atlanta was faring.

Jesse would be using the remaining men to do the farm chores such as feeding the animals, milking the cows and goats, checking the coups for eggs, etc. They were trying as hard as possible to keep a rotation of people in the citadel at all times for the protection of their supplies and their people. They needed to begin processing the goods the animals were producing in order to preserve their stores. Jesse would be installing cooling cabinets in each of the animal areas today to keep the milk and eggs cold. There were spells to pasteurize milk, and Jesse was planning on holding a workshop on Saturday that would be mandatory for everyone to attend. The workshop would focus on home farm spells to keep the animals healthy, happy, and producing.

Once the animal chores were completed, Jesse and the remaining men would start preparing the fields for planting. They had two tractors with some attachments. They had a cultivator which had been delivered the day before. They also had a cultipacker. Unfortunately, Harry didn't actually know that much when it came to farming, so they all assumed they were going to need more than they had. They would make due for now.

Breakfast was quickly becoming an on the go affair around the farm. Harry and Hermione woke early, prepared a few options to be set out on the table outdoors, and got ready for the day. Now that some of the bottomless bags had been emptied, each person leaving would be able to take at least one with them outside of the walls. Harry and Hermione would be taking two each. It wasn't going to be the most comfortable solution, but it offered too many benefits to not take the opportunity.

Since Hermione had never been able to get the items for their war room the day before, they were hopeful they would come across some of the things needed for that as well.

Hermione sat at the kitchen table with a checklist she had made upon waking that morning.  
"Alright, let's run through the list again so we can go as soon as we check on the Greene's. Bottomless bags?"

"Check."

"Food and guns for the Greene's?"

"Check."

"Gas canisters?"

"Check."

"Money?"

"Check."

"Wands and weapons for us?"

"Check."

With that, they were ready to go. Harry left for a quick meeting with Jesse about the priority of jobs that day while Hermione checked the library one more time to make sure she knew everything they would need to get that day. Mostly, she worried about how well the equipment would work in such a magical energy heavy environment.

They met 10 minutes later at the gate. Each had a backpack on their back as well as a disillusioned backpack strapped to their front. After carefully exiting their walls, their seemed to be an eerie chill in the air. Oddly, the animals that had been so present and noisy for the past few days were silent.

It didn't feel like a good sign.

Perhaps it was the nervousness, but they somehow agreed without speaking to hold a weapon in one hand. They reached out and clasped hands to apparate together. After the count of three, they appeared at the Greene's mailbox and the sight of minor chaos.

Some of the animals were loose, and the horses were neighing with anxiety. Harry and Hermione hustled up the long drive at a near run before reaching the front door. They knocked quickly and were ushered inside by a much more haggard looking Annie.

"Quickly now, come in dears. Harry, it's wonderful to see you again. I'd pause for introductions, but things are mad around here right now."

Harry took the lead, "We understand ma'am. We left our place yesterday evening and realized that some of those rumors we discussed must have been true. Hermione had a scare out at a friend's, and it seems as though the dead walking might not have been such a joke after all. Have you noticed anything around here, anything at all?"

Annie closed her eyes and took a deep breath before beginning. "Yes, I went to visit my friend Minnie a ways out yesterday in town. Her husband said she had been bit by a wild animal, and I have some medical training. It was clear when I got there that no animal could have done what I saw. The bites were from a human mouth, and Minnie was dying. I told her husband she needed the hospital, but he told me they had tried to get in earlier that day and the place was on lockdown. Something is wrong. Something is very, very wrong, and I…I'm scared."

There were tears in her eyes as she spoke about her friend. Annie had lived a somewhat sheltered life on the farm, and though she had lost people to age or the odd accident, it was completely different to watch someone suffer and die from such a thing. To be able to receive no help…

"Oh Annie, where's Hershel? Shouldn't he be here with you?" Harry asked this comfortingly. Hershel was a good man, and he knew he would be there for his wife if he was able.

"Hershel has been out on calls all night regarding bites. I called him to come home, and he's on his way. He said a lot of people are sick, even out in the sticks, and that I need to stay in the house. I heard gunshots out in the fields a few hours ago, but I've been too scared to go out. Some of the animals have gotten loose, and I think some of them were even stolen! I…I don't know what to do!"

She let out a shivery breath before collecting herself. She had a family to stay strong for, and Hershel would be back as soon as he could.

"You've done the right thing. Right now you're safety is more important than what is going on outside these walls." Harry paused before looking to Hermione. They communicated soundlessly before Hermione offered a small smile and a nod. They were about to break some laws.

"Annie, I would like to offer you and whoever else is here sanctuary at our place until Hershel returns. We have high walls and men who can make sure you remain safe. There is a woman who could keep you company, and children to be looked after. Really, it would be a kindness for us if you agreed to come."

Harry waited while Annie considered. She couldn't deny that she was scared and that Harry's offer was tempting. She worried for her girls, she worried for the workers, and she worried for herself. Hershel would want them all safe much more than he would want them on the farm.

"I would be grateful to accept. Let me gather up the girls and call Otis and Hershel. Otis can batten down the hatches and wait for Hershel to get back."

"Of course. Once you've got them all, can you bring them down here? I mentioned that my farm was a bit different, and there are some things I should tell you so you aren't too shocked when you arrive."

"Absolutely. Meanwhile, please help yourselves to whatever is in the kitchen. Do you think we will have time to pack a bag?"

"Yes ma'am. Let's plan to meet back here in 30 minutes. Hermione and I will go outside and try to corral the animals back."

Annie went upstairs while Harry and Hermione faced the chaos outside. They could see the dead at the edges of the property in the fields. They stood back to back and began to slay. Harry used his sword while Hermione tried a combination of spells that aimed at cutting off and crushing skulls. Viktor had been clear that the removal of the head would cause the creatures to stop.

There had only been 5 of the dead, and they were quickly disposed of. Harry and Hermione were quick to check the buildings and grounds for danger. Finding none, they penned the horse back in, fed the animals, and put up some very simple wards to keep out those with ill intent. The wards were weak, and they wouldn't last past a few intruders, but they were enough for now. Perhaps they would be able to get Jesse and his men to work on some more permanent wards once they were more secure in their own safety.

They went back to Annie's home to find three women with bags waiting in the foyer. There were even Pyrex containers on the table of food Annie was ready to take along. Southern hospitality never failed.

Hermione led the conversation.

"Hello, my name is Hermione Granger. Harry and I would love for you to stay with us for a while, but there are some things to discuss. Our compound isn't what you might expect from people our age. We have high walls, defenses in place, men who help us plant, and more."

The girls all seemed somewhat shocked.

"…But why? Why were ya'll so prepared for this?" Annie questioned.

"Harry and I were part of the war in Britain. We fended off terrorist attacks, we went on the run for over a year, and we were expected to fight from a very young age. Doctors back home suggested we had PTSD from the events, and being paranoid helped us to feel normal. There's something else you should know was well…" Hermione trailed off briefly.

Harry put a hand on her shoulder and took over.

"We are magical. The war wasn't between regular people, but magical wizards and witches. We know it seems crazy, but we are able to perform spells. Our compound is protected with magic, and we can keep you safe. We promise not to hurt you or keep you against your will. We genuinely just want to help you." Harry presented the information factually despite the bemused looks he received upon his announcement.

"I know it's hard to believe without proof, so please allow me to demonstrate." Harry took up his wand and cast a complex transfiguration spell that turned the tea kettle on the table into a porcupine. He then levitated the couch the ladies were sat upon a few feet off the ground before setting it back down gently.

Annie had a determined look on her face. It was an unexpected announcement, but she was an open-minded woman. The Bible cautioned against false miracles and the devil's work, but Harry had shown her nothing but kindness. He was a good boy. She took promises seriously, and he promised to keep them safe.

"Thank you for telling us. Girls, get the stuff and get ready to go. Harry, do we need to walk down the drive to your car?" Annie was like a gentle commander as she prepared to leave.

"No ma'am. We can apparate you out from here. It's like teleportation. You'll feel uncomfortable, and vomiting is not uncommon for your first trip, but the travel time will be nearly instantaneous."

Hermione instructed everyone to grab what they needed before she took Maggie's hand. Harry told Annie and Rachel to hold on to his shoulders. They both gave stern warnings to keep a firm hold. Letting go during apparition could lead to disastrous consequences, and splinching was much more harmful to muggles.

With simultaneous pops, the farm was empty.

They arrived at the bottom of the drive to find more of the walking dead. Harry and Hermione kept the girls close as they fired off spells to get rid of the 3 decaying beasts ambling their way up the drive. With a quickness borne of necessity, the dead were dispatched and the group made their way up the hill. Harry entered the code and ushered the group inside. Jesse met them at the gate to give Harry an update before offering to show the girls to house number 2. There was no guarantee the Greene's would stay, but it didn't hurt to show them what was available.

Adam was still outside with a team working with the magical plants. It had been obvious coming up the drive that strategic traps had been placed along the way and near the gates. Hermione identified Devil's Snare over pits. On the edges of the drive closer to the woods they could see Mandrakes had been planted. The cry of a mandrake was fatal to any who heard it, but who knew if that would apply to the walkers? Further from the gate along the walls Hermione saw that Venomous Tentacula had been planted. The plant was known to grab and poison, so it seemed a wise choice. They would definitely need to meet to map and explain the dangers of the plants.

They could see the tractors being used in the distance, and relief coursed through them as they could see things getting up and running. With both of them out of the compound, they worried immensely about how things would run. It seemed those worries were unfounded, and they couldn't be more glad. Two fields had already been readied, and the team working on magical creatures had come back inside to sow seeds. Even Bella could be seen out in the fields helping to plant.

They decided to grab some brooms in case of emergency before leaving once more. Hermione was shite on a broom, but it seemed better to be prepared for whatever situation they were about to get in.

With a quick consultation of a map, they planned to apparate to the rooftop of the Westin Peachtree Plaza in Downtown Atlanta. The top was flat, and the building was tall. They should be relatively safe and able to scope out the city.

Battle robes on and guns out, they popped to the roof.

What met them was complete and utter pandemonium.

The first thing they noticed was the sheer noise of the city. Sirens were wailing, screams could be heard from all over, and the door leading into the hotel was shaking. It was clearly locked from their side, and a key was needed to get it open. They wouldn't be attempting such madness.

With just a look it was clear that things had gone from bad to apocalyptic. Different parts of the city had been hit differently. The part they had apparated into was almost eerily empty of life. Cars were piled in the streets, but there wasn't a living soul in sight. They could see a distant part of the city looked like it had been hit by a bomb. Buildings were on fire, houses destroyed, and parts of the city that should be raised were leveled to the ground.

The dead were everywhere, both walking and truly gone. Ambulances wailed from many directions, and there were even military vehicles scattered throughout the city. There didn't seem to be a clear spot anywhere within eyesight, and that made things much more complicated than they had anticipated.

Jesse had been able to give them a map of Atlanta with areas they could check for the stores they needed. He lived just outside the city, so he was pretty familiar with the layout of the place. The building they were on was downtown, which now seemed like a blessing and a curse. They couldn't pop inside any stores lest they land themselves in a life ending situation, but they couldn't walk around with the city crawling with walkers.

"How should we handle this Harry? Do you think we need to go back?" Hermione asked this breathlessly. It was hard to comprehend the loss of life in a city as populated as Atlanta. It was the biggest city in Georgia, and now it seemed that everyone who lived in the city proper was just...gone.

"I brought the invisibility cloak. It can only shield one adult, and it won't prevent smell, but I think it would be a good way to scope things out. We can find a spell to fix the smell problem, but for now just masking scent all together with a disillusionment charm might do the trick. I'll apparate onto roofs to lessen the sound of apparition and look around before reporting back. If it seems moderately safe, I'll go in and take what we need. If not, I'll use periculum to send up red sparks and you can mark it on the map. Once things have settled or these things have migrated we can try again with the places we didn't get to go to today."

Ron had always been their strategist, but Hermione thought Harry did a pretty great job. In his youth he had a tendency for rashness and flash, but that had been kicked out of him over time and terror. Now, he always chose the safest path first, and he considered how to prevent casualties and unnecessary combat. Part of her worried about using periculum, but they could definitely explain that away to survivors as some sort of specialized flare. All in all, it seemed like a pretty solid plan. She pushed away the very tiny part of her that resented being left behind because she knew it wasn't a matter of skill. Harry trusted her to help with their plan for the future. He was always going to put himself in danger before her, and that was something she still occasionally had trouble accepting.

They talked about some of the finer details before setting up a makeshift area for Hermione to write. She would be against the edge of the roof overlooking the areas where Harry would be. They created a safe area under the ledge for her to jump to incase something happened to affect the emptiness of the roof, and they also added locking charms and wards to the door where they could still hear people screaming and the moans and gasps of the undead.

He strapped the sword of Slytherin to his back, loaded up with knives and guns, and kept his wand at the ready. The sword was much less ostentatious than Gryffindor's, but just as deadly. He still had two bottomless bags strapped to his body if he saw something he could grab immediately. Their first stop would be a store called Best Buy where they hoped they would be able to find surveillance equipment. Jesse had warned them that it would be a crapshoot. Best Buy had heavy doors to prevent theft, but if a zombie had made its way inside then it was likely infested.

Hermione helped Harry to cast disillusionment charms and protection charms to his body. It still felt like cracking a wet egg over his head, but there was a sense of security in knowing that Hermione would be there to cover any spot he missed. His battle robes were made to protect him from spells, but his skin would still be vulnerable under the cloth. They hadn't predicted that they would need to protect themselves from bites and scratches. After making sure they had missed nothing, Hermione helped Harry to attach the cloak via semi-permanent sticking charms. It wouldn't do to try to hold onto the cloak or try to adjust it during combat.

With one final check, Harry was ready. Hermione settled into her spot, gave him the ok, and listened for the sound of his apparition.

Harry apparated to the roof of the Best Buy with success. There was no door for him to use to enter the building, but he should still be able to cut a hole in the roof if necessary and levitate down to the ground. His first course of action was to head to the edge of the roof and look down to the entrance of the building. It was apparent that the doors were currently holding as the dead were stacked against the front, swaying, but not able to move forward.

He cast homenum revelio at the end of the store under his feet. Jesse had mentioned that most stores kept a backroom full of items ready to go on the floor. These rooms were generally locked, and only staff had a key. If he could determine where the room was, he could cut a hole in the area, remain relatively safe behind the locked door, take what he needed, and go back up.

After several attempts, he found a square that didn't report any life. It was fairly small, but he had faith that this was the safest bet. With a whispered curse, he cut through the roof and levitated the circle slab of concrete to the side to avoid noise. He cast a cushioning charm at the ground in case he fell before casting a levitation charm on himself and attempting to make his way to a shelf.

So far, he didn't see or hear any of the dead. Upon safely landing on a wobbly shelf he cast another homenum revelio. There was life, or something resembling it, on the other side of the door he could see across the room. There was nothing in the room. He cast several locking charms at the door before levitating heavy boxes against the door. Hermione had told him that barricading the doors he came to would make it easier to enter safely in the future. He shot green sparks up from his wand through the roof hole before carefully levitating to the floor.

The storeroom was smaller than he expected. The store itself was huge, but this room was only meant to hold extra merchandise. Hermione had also cautioned him that he would need to be careful with any equipment as these sorts of things were delicate.

He found a box of cables that seemed mixed together. That seemed odd for an electronics store, but he guessed the employees would know the different purposes for each based on sight alone. There were several boxes with televisions inside. None of them were matching brands/sizes, but that hardly mattered. He put the cables and televisions in the box before looking for his main target – security cameras.

He was able to find a few, but it was by no means a grand haul. There were six weather resistant cameras in all, along with several that could be mounted inside. He carefully packed them all before looking around for anything else that might be useful. There were many laptop computers, 10 in all, that he knew would be at least partially charged in their boxes. He didn't know how useful they would be, but he packed them up just the same.

He notices electric fencing advertised for prey animals. They were either very popular, or they had ordered too many because there were boxes upon boxes of them. He opened one up to see a thin wire that could be connected to other wires. You were meant to bury the power supply which was guaranteed to keep up to 3 years. Each wire could deliver a shock painful enough to seriously deter a wolf or fox. There were enough of them to go halfway around their compound, and Harry couldn't pass that up. He packed up the lot. There was a charcoal grill by the door that he packed as well. A few boxes of walkie talkies later, and he noticed something in the corner.

It was a pile of bodies. They had been hidden under a stack of boxes he had shuffled during the activity. They were all well and truly dead.

It gave Harry pause. He knew that disasters sometimes caused people with few skills and high anxiety or depression to "opt out." It was still horrifying to stumble across. Each person had a somewhat fresh gunshot wound to the head. They had probably only died a few hours ago. They all wore employee uniforms, and one of them clutched a picture of a small child.

Harry felt for them, but sentimentality had often been his downfall. He whispered a hope that they had found peace before continuing to search the room.

More games and batteries made their way into the bag. He also found two boxes with things called drones inside. Apparently they had cameras and could be flown about to show the view. He packed them up before making his way to the opening and levitating back up. The green sparks were still in the air.

He consulted the map Hermione had copied for him before finding another electronics store. There was a tiny store on the map called Ginstar Computer Downtown Inc. Jesse had gotten his computer fixed there, and he was relatively sure they had surveillance equipment too. It was likely the place hadn't been prepared for attack, and zombies were likely.

Harry apparated to the roof to find zombies climbing the walls and their snapping jaws far too close to his ankles. Their desperate moans assaulted him, and knowing they couldn't see him did nothing to assuage his fears. He thought about sending up red sparks before thinking better. There were about 30 zombies in the vicinity. They couldn't see him or smell him, and the roads were blocked off by cars on each end.

He began shooting off spells in a rapid fire. Bombardas to the skull took care of the climbers. The door to the store was laying several feet away from the store, so he could only guess how many were inside. He laid waste to the rest of the dead he could see with sectumsempra. All was quiet before he heard the shambling of zombies leaving the store. 15 decimated bodies piled out with chunks of flesh missing. He executed them before they could get far. Homenum Revelio was cast and faint red dots told him he would need to move fast. They weren't close yet, but he had maybe 5 minutes before he would need to disappear. He levitated to the ground, eyes narrowed and searching for danger. He began the process of barricading the doors with whatever was handy. His work was slipshod, but he knew he wouldn't be returning to this place.

He quickly found the equipment he needed. A large set of security equipment that contained 16 cameras with a monitoring system that could be hooked up to either a computer or a television. He shoved it into the bag before grabbing whatever was near and putting that in as well. He could hear the telltale groans that told him time was up. Suddenly, there was scratching against his makeshift defenses. He apparated to the roof, shot up red sparks, and left for Hermione's spot.

He was panting a bit when he arrived, but he was unscathed. He explained what had happened so far to Hermione before they agreed on another store. Hermione placed a check on both Ginstar and Best Buy on the map indicating they had already been there and taken things. They decided to quit while they were ahead with electronics and attempt Home Depot instead.

There was still plenty of space in his first bag, so he kept it on for now. They needed building materials, power supplies, and lawn and garden tools. Jesse didn't even pretend that Home Depot would be safe. With automatic doors and a sprawling interior, it was likely overrun. The good news was that Jesse knew for sure that Home Depot had been closed for two days. No one was sure why, but it had been hot gossip among construction crews all over the city.

This would be the last stop of the day. It wasn't what they had planned, but multiple apparitions, offensive charms, and warding spells had really drained Harry.

Apparating once more to the roof, Harry was surprised to see signs of survivors in the nearby area. While not directly in the home depot, they had used materials from it to block the streets, reinforce nearby buildings, and booby trap the area. It was proof that some would find a way to survive. He quickly found a way down from the roof before shouting from the roof to see the leader.

From across the street, a man came out from the Greenwood Lofts. He didn't have any backup, which indicated to Harry that the group was smaller than Harry would expect. He came out heavily armed and pointed a gun at Harry. It was going to be a tough sell, but Harry wanted to get him on his side.

"What do you want dumbass?" The man yelled. He was Korean, agile, and the way he scanned his surroundings showed that he had what it took to survive.

"My name is Harry Potter. I came here looking for supplies, and I was amazed by what you've managed to do here. How many men are in your camp?"

The man didn't lower his gun, but his lips upturned quickly with a smile from the praise.

"Why the hell would I tell you that? For all I know you're here to kill me and take what you want."

"I swear to you, that is not my intention. If anything, I want to recruit you. I have a compound outside the city. We have food, water, and protection. I'm rounding up whoever I can because I know better than most that surviving together is a lot easier than fighting to survive apart. Please, I want to offer your people help. There is room for however many you have, and we won't keep you there past your wanting."

The man was clearly skeptical. He had just helped a sick man earlier that day and sent him towards a camp he knew about at the quarry. It would be impossible to maintain the borders around Home Depot, but the easy access to Whole Foods and the Metal Fabricator up the street made it hard to leave. Already, he had lost the friends who helped him secure the area, and the civilians who remained had chosen to leave for the quarry. He had planned to start making his way to the quarry himself that night, but he knew those already there were mostly defenseless people unused to the harshness of the world. He had been in the process of taking what he could and packing up a car he had found that still had the keys in it when he heard the shouting from this man.

"Why should I trust you? If nothing else this disease has shown how little kindness there is in the world. How can you protect me any better than I can protect myself?"

Harry paused before starting, "This may be hard to believe…but how do you feel about magic?"

The man looked stunned before he broke out into laughter. "Man, there's no way…"

Harry levitated Glenn in the air before setting him back down.

"Shit. I can't…I'm in."

They shook hands before real introductions were made.

"I'm Glenn. Right now, it's just me. I've been helping survivors get out of the city to a camp out by the quarry. It's been all I can do to keep this place Z free, and I don't think the defenses are going to hold for much longer."

With a growing smile, Harry replied, "I can help with that."

After a quick brainstorm it was decided Harry would send a patronus to Hermione asking her to come and assist. They would ward the area with what they could, Harry would take a nap, and Glenn and Hermione would pack up everything they could.

Contrary to popular muggle belief, magical energy was not infinite. Depending on the power behind a spell or the basic requirements needed to cast it, it was very possible to run through all of your magical energy. In a way, magic was very much like a well. If you used everything that was inside, you would need to wait for the well to fill up again. Harry had been casting spells all day, and the warding of this gem would more than likely tap out what was left of his magical stores.

He cast the patronus and gave Prongs the message to give Hermione. He didn't shoot off sparks because he worried about the attention that would bring. Instead, he waited for the telltale pop of apparition before signaling for Hermione to come down. They reinforced doors, warded what they could, and made sure that the buildings were secured.

That done, Hermione shooed Harry away to rest in one of the rooms in the Greenwood Lofts. He carefully laid down while Hermione warded his door. He would be safe. His last thought before drifting off was how thankful he was for his best friend and new recruit. They could get the job done.

Hermione and Glenn made quick work of both The Home Depot and Whole Foods. They went together, and Glenn tried desperately not to be in awe of Hermione's magic. With the cooling cabinets installed and working back at the compound, Hermione didn't hesitate to take items that needed refrigeration. It would be a long time before they would be able to grow fruit as most fruiting trees and bushes took at least 2 or 3 years to produce anything. Thankfully, the power had not yet gone down in the city, and all of the cool items were still cold. Fruits, cheeses, cut meat, seafood, yogurt, butter, olive oil, juice, and vegetables were levitated into an open bottomless bag. From other areas of the store they took the typical shelf stable items before moving on to the baby section.

Glenn had mentioned a number of children at the quarry, some under 2 years old. They also had a child at the compound to think of as well as any number of children they would run across along the way. They took everything. Formula, rice cereal, canned food, even bottle heaters/sanitizers. It all went into the sack. There was even a section with essential oils advertised to soothe babies that Hermione could use for potions.

The nice thing about whole foods was the dedication to healthy living. There were foods for special diets, vitamins galore, and homeopathic remedies that could be deconstructed into potions that would truly help. The price tags on some of the items nearly gave Hermione a heart attack, but it's not like it really mattered since they were looting anyway.

There were several blenders that made their way into the bag as well. Magic didn't really have solutions for food preparation the way it should. There wasn't a spell for blending, and the machines would be useful for juicing, jellying, and producing their own herbs.

Glenn helped out where he could and made observations about things they might want that she wouldn't have thought of. He genuinely had an intuitive sense for survival and an intriguing mind. He mentioned that they could actually pull the security cameras from the walls and use new cables to run them at the citadel. He reminded her that they would need pectin to make jellies and jars for any canning they wished to do in the future.

She wondered what sort of job he had been involved in that would teach him these skills. She was shocked when she asked and he replied with a cheeky grin, "I was a pizza delivery boy."

They chatted on and off about a variety of subjects. Among them, Harry, the compound, supply running, and magic. An easy comradery was born as they made quick work of the store. They moved on to Home Depot and committed many of the same procedures. Hermione popped into Harry's domicile where he had left the bags outside his door. She grabbed them and popped back to Glenn. He felt that hardware would be the best place to start, and they made good time in gathering wood, nails, screws, power tools, joints, pipes, etc. into the bag. Glenn knew more about building than Hermione, and he even mentioned that his parents had been particularly handy at home. They had passed a few years earlier in a car accident, and he had been on his own ever since. He had found a job delivering pizzas in Atlanta, and it was in that way that he learned the streets and sights.

A place of interest in the store was the area with fencing. They had several fences at the compound, but the more walls between them and the world, the better. The picked up rolls of chain link, livestock fencing, barbed wires, and more. Concrete and cement mix went in as well as hammers and posts. Carabiners and paracord – anything that seemed useful and small found a place. Tow chains and padlocks found a way into the sack as well.

When they had filled a bag with small items, they moved on to the last bag they had empty. There was still a portion of the bag Harry had used earlier, but they were saving that for any last minute items.

In another section of the store they found the items intended for gardening. Hoses, watering cans, small greenhouse kits, and rain barrels were some of the first items levitated into the sack. They had to be selective due to the weight limit on the bag. They only took a few of each item so that they didn't strain the bag. As Glenn reminded her, they could make their way back tomorrow when Harry was recuperated for more now that the wards were up. They could even bring some of the men who had stayed at the compound to help.

Pruning shears, gloves, baskets, hand tools, composting materials, raised bed kits, and wheel barrows filled the remaining space in the bag. Hermione could feel the wards falling on Harry's room. She endured a small moment of panic before Harry apparated to her side and she realized he had taken the wards down when he awoke.

Harry encouraged them to take some of the plants that were set out. There was a variety of fruiting trees they could choose from. Olive, persimmon, plum, apple, fig, peach, and pecan trees went in before they moved to the bushes and vines. They didn't really know what would grow in the area, so they took what they could of each type. Blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, cherries, grapes, and raspberries filled the last portion of their last bag.

It was with a deep sense of regret and remorse that they prepared to leave. The day had been a blessing, but they wondered about tomorrow. As they strapped their bounty to their bodies and explained to Glenn about the side effects of apparition, they could feel that there was a large group of zombies pushing on their newly established wards. There was also a group of almost certainly helpless civilians gathering outside the city at the quarry.

Glenn was particularly hesitant to leave. He wanted to continue helping those left in the city, but between the bomb and the walkers, it didn't really seem like there were many left to help. In going with Harry and Hermione, he could lend his skills to a community that seemed to be thriving. He could also secure a place for those at the quarry so they could be safe too.

Harry reached out to put a hand on his shoulder. It was clearly hard for Glenn to leave, but it would be better for him in the long run. Tomorrow they could work on getting some of his people back with him as well as sending out a team to handle the supply run.

Glenn smiled and nodded that he was ready to leave.

With that, and a faint pop, they appeared back at the long drive leading to their home.

 ***-*-*-*-*-* The Quarry *-*-*-*-*-***

Rick drove an amazingly shiny Black SUV into the area where Glenn had said there would be survivors. The light from the sun shone off the glossy finish as it went, and the reflection caught the attention of several walkers who couldn't keep up. The SUV was packed with food and water, but there was a definite lack of weapons. Weapons stores were some of the first places to be raided aside from hospitals, and it was slim pickings for defensive items.

Rick had a pistol and a shotgun that he had kept in the gun cabinet at home. Lori had one in the chest as well, but it was already gone. It brought him a measure of peace to know that she probably had it with her. He kept his pistol strapped to his leg under his pants. Glenn had said the people at the quarry were accepting and stable, but he hadn't been able to kick off the vague feeling of distrust he had felt ever since he woke up to the apocalypse.

A bell sounded as he drove up to the edge of the camp alerting those inside to his presence. He stopped the van, and a series of bedraggled survivors strode forward to unload the supplies. Rick had slipped some food and water into his satchel before stopping, so he didn't worry about receiving his fair share.

Before meeting Glenn, he had made his way out of his laundry room to the kitchen of his house. He took a bag he normally used for carrying cases and loaded it up with the small amount of food Lori had left behind. He gorged himself so thoroughly on cereal bars that he nearly threw up before throwing the rest in his satchel. He also packed some toiletries and kitchen knives before he was ready to brave the outdoors. He needed a car with gas, so he cased his neighbor's driveway before he found what he was looking for. A black SUV with a full tank sat in a soccer mom's driveway. He knocked on the door and heard snarling on the other side. The mom, Samantha, had turned into some sort of beast. She was missing an arm and a leg, so he wrestled her to the ground and shot her in stomach with his pistol. The pain didn't stop her, didn't even make her pause, so the next shot went in her brain.

Her daughter, Sarah, was in the same class as Carl at school. They used to play together when they were younger, but age and hormones had made that less common this year. It was with growing unease that he watched Sarah shuffle down the stairs with a clearly broken leg and a gaping bite-mark in her cheek. Her eyes were cloudy, and there was no recognition in them. She was a walker.

He struggled to raise the gun to shoot her even as she came up him baring her teeth. He had never killed a child before. He could feel tears gathering in his eyes as he wondered about the fate of his boy before he raised the gun to her head and fired. He held the body after she died and tried desperately to get over what he had just done.

He told himself it wasn't real. She wasn't really Sarah anymore. He hadn't killed in innocent. He could feel his hands shaking as he stroked the hair of the child's corpse. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't think. He couldn't move. In the back of his mind he realized he was in shock, maybe even suffering from an anxiety attack as his lungs shuttered and rattled for air. Somehow, his instincts kicked in. He had to survive. He had to find Carl.

The keys to the SUV were hung up on a cute sign with hooks adorned with owls. The sun shone through the windows as he looked for weapons and food that he could take. He found an aluminum bat that Sarah probably used at softball and a can of mace. Despite living in the South, Samantha had never owned a gun. When her husband left her to shack up with his secretary, she continued to believe in the kindness of her neighbors. She asked Rick to keep an extra close eye on her home, and look where that had gotten her.

He took the keys, loaded up the SUV with what he could find, and drove off to take a shortcut through the city to the cabin.

The SUV ran out of gad right outside of Glenn's barricaded block, and the rest…the rest was history.

Pulled out of his reverie, he noticed familiar long, dark hair being rustled by the breeze out of the corner of his eye. A woman was standing next to a man in an officer's uniform beaming up at him. Beside them, a young boy played in a creek. It almost felt like he was dreaming of his life before all of this. He stumbled forward and heard the loud yelling of a boy he thought he might never see again.

"DAD! Mom, Shane, it's dad!"

Carl barreled into his still aching chest, and Rick had never been more welcoming of pain. He breathed in the sweaty smell of Carl's hair. He felt the body of his son crushing him into a desperate hug. All the while, he saw Lori take several steps away from Shane as if to put some distance between their bodies. They had been standing close before, almost shoulder to shoulder, and she sent Shane a lingering glance before making her way to her boys.

She joined in on the hug, and it felt strange to feel her hugging him after so long without her touch. Even before the apocalypse, before he got shot, things between them had been strained. She had been having an affair with a neighbor for over a year before she confessed to her husband. They went to marriage counseling, did all the things you were supposed to do to try to stay together, but it was clear that the love that used to be between them was gone. Now, the only thing truly holding them together was Carl and their vows.

Shane ambled over as the hug was breaking up and clasped Rick in a hug of his own. They had been at the quarry for days having never made it even close to the cabin. He had given up hope for Rick's survival upon hearing through their radio that Atlanta had been bombed. Not only had Rick returned, he had returned with supplies and a mostly healed up body. It was a miracle.

At least, that's what he tried to tell himself as jealousy burned through him. He had just taken up with Lori, both of them believing Rick to well and truly be gone, and then Rick rode in like a knight on a white horse. He pushed his feelings of hatred to the side, surprised to be feeling such things for a friend he had loved for over 10 years. While he clapped his hand on Rick's back, he prayed for his dark feelings for his friend to go away. He prayed his desire for Lori would lessen.

At the edge of camp, Daryl and Merle strode out of the woods dragging a dead buck. They had arrived earlier that day on foot as their truck ran out of gas about 5 miles before the quarry. They had planned to stop for the day to rest before making their way to the safe house. Daryl had taken one look at the starving masses and declared he was going hunting. Merle called him a pussy before following him into the woods with a gun.

They talked quietly while they were out. This many people in one area, mostly defenseless, it was bound to be attacked. They needed weapons. As it was, only they and the cop had any means of killing the walkers. While they didn't plan to stay with the camp, there were children there. In spite of his gruff exterior, Merle couldn't leave children to die. He had taken more than his fair share of licks from their dad to shield Daryl before leaving home. He regretted more than anything that he couldn't take Daryl out of their pa's house until he turned 18. Coming back from a tour in Iraq to find Daryl bruised and beaten had nearly broken him. He turned to drink and drugs to numb the guilt, and then he took Daryl away as soon as he could. None of his threats had kept their pa at bay, but he met his maker in the end.

The whole experience had definitely left him with a surge of protection for kids. Adults were the shit of the earth, and he couldn't think of a damn one of 'em besides his brother that he would bother to save, but leaving kids to the monsters they dreamed about with no hope of survival didn't sit right with him.

They bagged the buck and went back to camp. A cop had arrived with an SUV with over a half tank of gas left in it. Shane was rallying a group to go into the city tomorrow to pick up some guns. He knew where they could get them, but he needed a crew if he hoped to make it back alive. The cop had mentioned an Asian man who had secured a block where they could resupply and get more gas.

Merle and Daryl shared a look, and it was decided. They would be going into the city tomorrow before continuing on their way. If everything worked out, they'd even be able to take that shiny black SUV with them before they rode off into the sunset.

That night the dead inched closer to the quarry. Glenn ate dinner with a whole troupe of people who had skills and were kind. He even met a woman named Maggie who flirted with him in a no-nonsense way that left her mother near tears from amusement. Hershel and Otis drove a beat-up truck to meet the girls before settling in for the night. The Greene's were amazed at the fortitude of the compound, and Hershel swallowed his pride and prepared to ask Harry if they could stay the next morning. After a full two days out on calls for bites, he couldn't deny that the sickness going around wasn't normal. It killed the soul and left the body behind. There was no hope for the bitten, nor those that tried to save them.

Everyone at camp helped Harry, Hermione, and Glenn unpack their haul from the day. Adam, Jesse, and all the others agreed to go on a run the next day, and a meeting was scheduled for the morning to go over the details.

Everyone went to bed while Harry and Hermione returned to the tiny kitchen table to brainstorm. They would be headed to the quarry tomorrow to recruit, and they needed a game plan on how to choose who would be coming home with them. They talked for hours and made many, many notes before retiring. Outside their gates, a walker fell into a plot of devil's snare that covered a pit with spikes at the bottom. Its head was impaled, and it groaned no more. Two more wandered into the path of a Venomous Tentacula which didn't hesitate to wrestle them to the ground before devouring them. Finally, the night was silent.

 ***-*-*-*-*-* Author's Note *-*-*-*-*-***

I know you guys had to wait for this one, but I really appreciate all the support! I had so many wonderful reviews, follows, and favorites. It was a blessing. The beach was amazing, and I had an absolutely adorable Valentine's Day weekend. As a thank you, I made this chapter a little bit longer to compensate.

Things are now set up for Glenn and Maggie to have a less awkward "let's have sex as fast as possible" sort of relationship. I always felt they deserved better than what the show gave them.

Next chapter will include Harry and Hermione vetting the people at the quarry. They aren't going to take everyone, and I'm sure you all understand why. I've had a lot of negative comments about Rick, and I'm not sure of his fate yet. Shit seems to follow him wherever he goes, but much the same could be said for our dear Harry.

Please continue to read and review!

I had a lot of questions about house elf usage last chapter, and I genuinely feel like they won't be present for 3 reasons. First, house elves make things too easy. Second, Hermione would be opposed to using house elves. Finally, house elves have their own community to stand with in disasters.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Look for the next one on Friday or Saturday next week. J


	5. Lori is a Slut

***-*-*-*-*-* Last time on POP *-*-*-*-*-***

Shane was rallying a group to go into the city tomorrow to pick up some guns. He knew where they could get them, but he needed a crew if he hoped to make it back alive. The cop had mentioned an Asian man who had secured a block where they could resupply and get more gas.

Merle and Daryl shared a look, and it was decided. They would be going into the city tomorrow before continuing on their way. If everything worked out, they'd even be able to take that shiny black SUV with them before they rode off into the sunset.

 ***-*-*-*-*-* This time on POP *-*-*-*-*-***

All his life Shane Walsh had played second fiddle to calmer, less vicious men. His last girlfriend Dana had said he had a mean streak a mile wide and the ego to match.

He disagreed and told her to turn off the fucking lights every once in awhile.

Needless to say, they had some irreconcilable differences and decided to part ways. He had turned to Rick after the breakup for a kind ear and some harsh honesty. Rick had a way of making everything sound like it would work out, even when he didn't honestly believe it himself.

Part of Shane had hoped that Rick would never find them even as the rest of him prayed he would. He was disgusted with his own selfishness, but Lori had always been confident and hot, and for a moment it had almost felt like he had found some happiness in the apocalypse. A ready made family just for him, his to protect, his to love, and his to lead.

Now he and Lori had to sneak around, and every stolen glance or casual touch felt like a punch in his gut. How could he do this to the man who was like his brother? How could he do this to the man who had led him through some truly hellish situations with calm words and reassurances?

As Lori moaned underneath him and clawed at his back with grasping hands, he wondered how on God's Green Earth that this situation could possibly work out. How was anything going to come his way but utter disaster? She licked the outer shell of his ear, and those thoughts fled. All that remained was the pleasure found in his best friend's wife.

Daryl snorted from his spot at the edge of camps as the sounds of sloppy rutting reached his ears. Honestly, the world comes to an end and the dead rise, and people were still the worst things he had to deal with. He shrugged his bow back further on his back before heading in the opposite direction. People in the camp were already losing weight from the lack of available protein, and it seemed like no matter what he and Merle managed to bring back the people were always hungry.

He hunted for a few hours of the early morning knowing that his "fearless leader" was busy in the arms of his harlot. He returned as the air had started to warm and the sun was truly shining in the sky. He had managed to bag a few rabbits and squirrels that people could clean and cook while he and Merle went into the city with Shane's crew.

He took his portion of breakfast - a granola bar and some sort of breakfast burrito with leftover meat from his kills yesterday - and sat with a barely awake Merle. His brother had never been an early riser, and the lack of coffee at camp was eating away at his already shitty morning disposition.

"Hey," said Daryl. He paused to take a few bites of breakfast, not truly expecting a reply from his brother.

"Mornin', Bitchface." Merle's voice was rough and graveled with sleep.

"We goin' into the city today?" Daryl questioned.

"Yeah. Shane came around a bit ago and said we're leaving after breakfast. He knew you were out hunting, I figure, and he knew I wasn't leaving your ass behind. He's waiting for us." Merle shrugged and ran a hand blearily over his face. He really hated mornings.

With that announcement, they fell silent. Daryl finished eating while Merle continued to slowly shake himself to a more wakeful state. Finally, they both stood and made their way over to the ramshackle group Shane had managed to wrangle. The sheriff from last night, Rick, was beside Shane. Daryl guess Rick hadn't yet realized the extent of his wife's infidelity.

"Alright crew! We'll be taking the SUV and the truck into Atlanta today. Our main goal is to find weapons. Food is second, but we should still be on the lookout. Rick met a man in Atlanta who sent him our way, so we'll be heading to that man's home base area first. If nothing else, the guy cleared a block and we may be able to grab some food." Shane said all of this proudly. He figured it was a solid plan, though he had never really been the planning type. He had meant to spend more time working out the details, but then Lori snuck into his tent that morning and well…

Daryl and Merle would be in the truck while everyone else crammed into the SUV. There was some talk about hauling a few men in the truck bed, but it was vetoed by Merle who refused to leave his fellow soldiers so vulnerable to Zs.

The ride to Atlanta was long. Cars had already begun piling up along the highway, so they had to stop 3 times to clear roads. It wasn't an easy task as 4 men worked on 1 car at a time. Eventually, they saw the sprawling edge of the city, and Merle made sure to follow close behind the SUV that was leading them to a part of the city closer to the suburbs.

They had come across small groups of zombies even at the edges of the city, but the deeper they got the worse things became. They had to reroute several times as they got stuck from cars, hordes, and areas where the bomb had hit. Finally, after what felt like several loops around the entire city, Rick was able to direct them to an area with cars in defensive lines. There were also several very tall and sturdy walls surrounding a block that sounded clear.

Unfortunately, the zombies had gotten through the cars and a group of them had gathered to claw at the wall. It was no more than 15, but with only a few men it would take some doing to clear them out. Merle cracked his window while Daryl did the same. They started shooting, taking down one zombie at a time with the precision of hunters.

Suddenly, one of the doors to the SUV was thrown open as one of the men ran towards a zombie with a knife. Everyone else quickly exited the SUV to help him. The man slashed at a walker amateurishly while Rick and Shane headed for his back to try to defend his weak spot. They didn't make it in time. While the man was distracted with the Z in front of him, 2 walkers ambled up behind him, grabbed him, and started biting.

The screams were something Daryl would never forget. Sure, he killed animals for food and fur, but the only man he had ever hear scream out in pain was himself. He continued taking out Zs from his tiny window slit with hands clenched tight on his crossbow.

The men who had left the SUV were out-manned by the Zs. Shane and Rick were holding their own fairly well as men who had been trained to detain criminals. The others were practicing some sort of slash and stab technique that was pretty hit or miss. They all knew to go for the brain at this point, but one of the men kept stabbing Zs in the chest and abdomen. He seemed to take relish in their growls and pain.

Another man from their party went down. He hadn't been aware of his surrounding and a Z managed to sneak up on his right and get a lucky bite in. It was the first time Daryl had ever seen someone reanimate. It happened surprisingly quickly. One minute the man was screaming in pain and clutching his neck. He kept fighting, eventually taking down the zombie that bit him. Then he became more sluggish, more fevered looking. Finally, he slumped down on the ground dead. Within 60 seconds his eyes snapped back open and his southern drawl had been replaced with a vicious growl.

With a final shot from Shane, the zombies were down and it was time to load back up to go. They had lost 2 men in the scuffle, and the deaths served to reinforce the danger they were facing. It was a much more somber group gathering into the SUV than the excited men from before.

They made their way near where Rick said he had met his Asian savior. They had noticed several of the undead strung up in traps that seemed to deter the others from coming too close. Still, several were ignoring their hanging brethren in order to pile up and claw at a large wall. They had made it to the safe block.

They got as close as they could before facing the Zs with hand to hand combat and knives. They didn't dare shoot in fear of drawing more monsters to the scene. Within a few moments, they parked the truck and SUV right next to the wall before using the roofs to hoist one another up over the wall. It was by no means an easy feat, and that gave them hope that perhaps nothing dangerous had made it over the wall after all.

A boost from Daryl, and Merle was on top of the wall. Merle was heavier and stronger, so he was able to pull Daryl up and over as well. They both hopped down, unconcerned about the rest of the group.

The place was incredible. Whoever had put it into lock down must have known the layout of the city and what they would need the most. There was a grocery store, hardware store, metal works factory, and even a pet shop. The silence of the block was eerie, but they were used to silence.

They heard the stomps of men coming over the wall and waited a moment before heading towards the grocery. If someone was somewhere around the block, food seemed like the most likely place to be. They stayed side by side and allowed the other men to flank them as they headed toward Whole Food. It was the sort of hippy dippy bullshit place they never would have visited before the world had gone to hell. Now, it was like a beacon in the night.

The doors had already been smashed in, so all they had to do was step inside. It was clear that no one was inside the minute their feet walked stepped on the glass. They set to looking for some of their favorite long shelf life items like rice, beans, and the makings for jerky. While on the aisles for those items it was clear that someone had been taking from the areas before they arrived. They loaded up their backpacks and the messenger bags that had been forced on them before they left.

The others in the party were having a grand time in the store. They still weren't used to real thinking, and it was obvious in the things they were picking up. Fresh fruit, packs of chips and candy, bread, etc. Merle went over to school them while Daryl listened in on the conversation Shane and Rick thought they were having covertly by the women's hygiene section.

"They think they're smart hiding out where no man would look. Honestly, what could be more suspicious," he mumbled to himself. He stopped on the battery aisle right across where the "fearless leaders" were huddled. He could hear their whispers as long as he stayed quiet. He began loading batteries and small flashlights into his pack while he listened intently.

"Rick, the quarry isn't safe. We need to be moving on soon, finding somewhere more permanent for Lori and the rest of 'em. We need somewhere with walls man. Those people are practically worthless, and we're hauling ass and putting our lives at risk to keep 'em fed," Shane whispered irritated. It was clear they had had at least part of this conversation before.

"And where the hell do you think we're going to go? Back to the suburbs? Out into the woods? The quarry is ok for now. It's got plenty of people to keep watch and band together to fight. Lori and Carl are safe there."

"They're safe because of ME! I got them out of town! What the hell have you done besides show up and play hero."

"Shane, I thank you for doing what you could to help my family, but if you think I'm going to thank you for fucking my wife while I've been gone you've got another thing coming."

Rick's breaths were coming out in angered pants while Shane was shocked into silence. He honestly hadn't known that Rick had caught on. At least he didn't realize it was still going on.

"Brother….I'm sorry. We just fell into it, and now it's so hard to fall back out. I know she isn't mine, and I'm doing my best to back down. Please, please at least give us some time to get back to how we were before."

Daryl left before he could hear any more. He was sickened by the display of weakness and cowardice. Both men were playing at being who they thought others wanted them to be. There was no love lost between Rick and Lori, and here he was trying to play bereaved husband. Similarly, Shane tried to play best friend instead of cheating bastard.

There was a loud pop from outside the door that put Daryl on edge. It sounded like the sound he knew from young childhood that meant magical transportation. His Uncle Jesse used to sneak over to the house and bring him food and toys while his Pa was out.

A shadow passed in front of the broken doors. Someone was here.

 ***-*-*-*-*-* Cut Scene Cut Scene Cut Scene *-*-*-*-*-***

Jesse was the first one up that day, and he took care to get Bella dressed before letting her help him feed the animals. She loved being able to feed the chickens and goats, and it was a great way to keep her occupied while he checked on the horses, pigs, and sheep.

He did a quick round around the walls and found a spot where several of the walkers had piled up. With a few spells, he had dispatched of the undead, and he made a mark on his hand drawn map of the compound as a reminder to inform Harry later at their regular morning meeting.

If he knew anything about cameras he would have taken on the job of setting up their extra security measures. Instead, he headed to the fields to check on growth and wetness. They had tilled the soil the day before and planted some seeds, but they had yet to set up any sort of irrigation. They needed the soil to produce as much as possible so that they would make it through the winter.

Lord, Jesse was grateful for the opportunity that fell into his lap with Harry. Had they not been invited into the compound he would no doubt be running, hiding, and scrapping to keep himself and Bella going. If they had even been able to survive the first day that is…

Hershel was sitting on the front porch of his house in deep thought. It was obvious he wanted to stay, but it was hard to give up on his family home. Perhaps Hermione would have some of solution if he could work up the nerve to ask the brilliant witch.

By the time Jesse made his way to the breakfast table it had been loaded down with food. Two guesses as to who had done the cooking. He had found Maggie and spoken with her about keeping an eye out for Bella. There were plenty of chores to go around, and she assured him she was used to keeping up with kids.

Harry, Hermione, and Glenn were planning at the kitchen table. They were going to the quarry that morning to recruit, but they worried what they might be getting into. They needed to leave soon, and the plan was to act as the last refugees that Glenn had been able to get out of the city. Glenn admitted that he didn't know all that much about the group staying at the quarry even though he had been sending people there. For now, it was safe from walkers, but if they hadn't been preparing, defending, and building then it was quite unlikely they would live to see many more days.

They began packing bags to hold them over for several days. They wouldn't be able to use magic easily with that many muggles around, but they didn't want to starve or be unprotected either. Hermione had been able to magic some necklaces to act similarly to the galleons she had made in her school days. She, Harry, and Jesse would have them to be able to communicate if they needed help. If they thought with intention, the pendant on the necklace would become warm and flash with both coordinates and an actual picture. It was complicated magic, and Harry was sure only Hermione would have been capable of such innovation in the time crunch they found themselves in.

While they made the rounds at the quarry and tried to gather people with skills, Jesse and some of the guys would be going in to Glenn's Block in Atlanta to check the wards and see if they could be reinforced. If they could, they would take a few hours to add to the defenses before beginning to raid what was left. There was a lot of large equipment, and it was likely they would need to make multiple trips over several days or even weeks to get everything.

This also worried Harry as the unbelievable was happening. They were gathering things - food, equipment, medicine - faster than they could create storage. In fact, it was likely if they kept on being so successful that they would need to begin using housing as makeshift storage, and he wasn't about to prioritize storage over lives. He had been thinking on a solution and wanted to have a conversation with Hershel as soon as they returned.

Hermione had a checklist and was going over the supplies in their bags when Jesse politely knocked on the sliding kitchen door. Harry walked over and let him in. He made sure to offer him food and drink before escorting him to their living room.

"Hey, Harry. I wasn't intending to bother, I just wanted to make sure we had our morning meeting before we both went out today. Do ya'll have any notion of when you might be heading back?"

"No bother Jesse, and we aren't really sure of a travel timeline. Glenn remembers a few people he thought might be promising, but we aren't even sure how many people are at the quarry. We're going to do things the cautious way. We don't want to reveal magic and have people think this is some heavenly community where no one has to work. We also don't want anyone mounting an attack. The more trouble we can avoid, the better. We're hoping to be back in about a week, and Hermione has the necklace we talked about on the kitchen table for you." Harry said everything calmly like this was a plan he had been considering a lot. It was clear that he wouldn't be coming back empty handed.

"Yes sir, I'll make sure to grab it before I leave. Is there anything specific I should be looking for when we head into Atlanta? I know a couple a things we could use for the fields, but there's a lot I'm clueless about. Food? Weapons?"

"There's a lot we still need, but maybe be a bit selective these first couple trips. We can always use more food. In this world, food is going to be the first thing to go and the hardest thing to get. Anything still fresh, anything in a can, and anything we can preserve are things we need. Get with some of the Greene's to figure out exactly what we need to preserve foods, make jellies, etc. If Hershel is alright with it you might even take someone from the family along. In terms of weapons, anything. Anything you think could defend this place and these people I want you to get. I've got some ideas of what to do with Hershel's farm if he's willing, but in order to put any of that plan into place we're going to need a whole hell of a lot of fencing and defensive equipment," Harry paused in thought for a brief moment before adding, "and if you see anything we might need when the weather turns on us...we need that too. It's summer now, it's warm, but we shouldn't be deluded about what we're in for this winter. You know what it's like better than I do, and we won't have any muggle heating and cooling to get us through. Warming charms should be used sparingly as we won't have time to recast them on every place every day, so be on the lookout for things to help with insulation and heating."

"Understood. There's one more thing before I let you go, " Jesse pulled out his map, "there's a spot near the field border where zombies are piling up. I got rid of a bunch of 'em this mornin', but I'm worried what might happen if we let it go. I talked to Adam before I came in here about setting up some traps near there. I've also spoken with the whole team about maybe adding in some more wards so that the Zs have to be particularly tenacious before they can even get close to the walls. We would have to be careful burying the warding stones and laying the spellwork, but it could give us a little more distance from danger."

Harry looked at the map closely. He asked a few more questions before agreeing with Jesse's plan. He made sure to tell Jesse to wear his battle robes. The block may have been clear yesterday, but nothing was certain in this new world. Finally, Jesse was off to gather his men and have his own morning meeting with Adam. Adam and Jim would be staying back to begin working on a plan for warding and defenses. Jesse had informed them of the beginnings of Harry's plan for the Greene farm, and they planned to mock-up some things for Harry to show Hershel. Jesse had even persuaded Otis to come along on the trip to Atlanta.

Once all of Jesse's men had put on their battle robes they were ready. They were side along apparated so that one person in each group could be wand ready for battle. Jesse instructed them all to grab a man. Once he popped away, they could all follow behind. With those last words, he was gone. Roughly 5 pops later, so were 10 other men.

Harry, Hermione, and Glenn would be apparating as close as they could before trying to acquire a car. If none could be found then they would be on foot. They gathered their bags, weapons, and wands. Glenn would be apparating with Hermione while Harry went first. Picturing a meadow near the road in his mind, he popped away.

The first thing he noticed was the smell. There didn't seem to be any bodies in the meadow, but the smell of decay, blood, and evacuated bowels was drifting on the wind. It was a smell he never seemed to get away from.

Hermione and Glenn arrived and immediately began gagging. Hermione was able to pull herself together fairly quickly. They could hear the telltale shuffling of the undead up on the road, and if they didn't move soon they would have company in the meadow.

The quietly began moving north towards where they knew the quarry would be. They stuck tight together and moved fast. After they had been walking for nearly an hour, the sounds had finally faded and they felt they could go near the road. They made their way up a hill to find the road completely barren. There were no cars near this part, so they would have to keep walking until they found something. They agreed to a quick water break before continuing to walk. Nearly two hours later Harry felt his body tense. Faintly, ever so faintly, he could hear groaning up ahead. He signaled for the other two to stop before whispering his observation. Swords out, wands ready, they snuck in for battle.

There were so many dead. Some of them looked much fresher than others, so it was safe to assume this horde had been gathering members along their migration. Hermione went around to the back of the group with Glenn while Harry began taking out those in the front. Thankfully, his sword skills were still sharp. He was quick to dispatch the dead, and though he had one close call, his battle robes and the light armor he wore underneath protected him from bites and attempted scratches. Hermione and Glenn were taking out equal amounts towards the back, and several Zs in the middle seemed to be confused on which direction to even go. The survivors met in the middle to dispatch the final members of the horde.

Panting and nervous, they looked for cars. There were several along this stretch, and some of the zombies had to be the former owners. They carefully searched zombies for car keys and were able to come up with a few sets. They checked the cars for gas as Glenn instructed, and they even siphoned some gas from the other open cars to make themselves a full tank. They would be without a car when the gas ran out, but this would be more than enough to get them to the quarry. They checked the other cars for supplies and found a few first aid kits and some canned goods that might endear the people at the quarry to them. They settled into the car before they noticed the baby food in the backseat. There was a long moment of silence where they digested the knowledge that the baby was gone before they packed the baby food into their box for the quarry. Then they got going.

It was about a 45 minute drive to the quarry from where they were. They tried the radio with no luck, but the former owner of the car had a set of CDs that Glenn helped them figure out. They spent most of the 45 minutes listening to Fleetwood Mac's Rumors album and quietly talking strategy.

They stopped the car when they reached a makeshift zombie alert system. Someone had strung up cans and metal at all different heights. It was a pretty smart move, and it was something Harry thought they could bring back to his own camp. Not far beyond the cans were people on watch. They got out of the car and waited at the cans for someone to come over. A woman approached and introduced herself before allowing them to enter. Harry handed over the box of supplies and watched her fumble and look around for someone to tell her what to do.

Her name was Lori, and Harry could already tell she was useless. Coming over to them had implied that she was a leader, someone who knew what to do when new people arrived, but her actions after that showed the reality. She was arrogant. She wanted to be in charge, but she didn't want the responsibility it implied. She was ready to order them about before she even learned their names.

Harry left Hermione to deal with her while he went to greet some of the people who had come up to Glenn. They slapped him on the back, hugged him, thanked him for getting them out of the city. Glenn was a true leader. A true hero.

"Shane is out in Atlanta for the day on a supply run or he would be here to greet you. He took our new member Rick and a couple of other guys with him to help," this was said by a small blonde woman with fierce eyes. Having been surrounded by strong women his whole life, Harry recognized the strength this woman held - however deeply buried it might be.

"My name is Andrea, and I can show you around. There's not much to see, but we can make things a little more comfortable then they must have been on the run. My sister Amy can help you out with laundry later. Damn place has turned prehistoric with the women doing all the house work while the men defend and go on supply runs."

She was frustrated. Her whole life she had been fighting inequality and taking care of Amy. Now, here they were being treated like worthless little girls who couldn't do anything other than cook or clean. Glenn had told them where to go and helped to get them out of Atlanta, but they had been on their own for much of the apocalypse. They weren't useless.

Harry clapped her on the shoulder. He knew how it felt to be forced to do labor when you wanted to fight. Most of his youth was spent cooking and cleaning for the Dursley's and thinking about if he was going to survive the year. More proof the muggles weren't so different from the magicals.

"Thank you Andrea. We can do our own laundry and cooking, but we appreciate your help. If you could just show us a place to set up our tent we would be very grateful."

Andrea was quick to show them a place on the edge of camp where Daryl and Merle stayed. Harry seemed powerful. Though he was quiet, she sensed the leader in him and wondered how he would mesh with the power dynamics of the camp. She placed him near Daryl and Merle as they could keep an eye on him and it would keep them out of the danger zone near Shane.

She made sure they had everything they needed before the left to help with rationing. Every day they were running out of food, and the lack of calories was starting to show in their energy as well as on their bodies. Rationing was helping them to stretch the supplies, but they couldn't keep on this way forever.

Harry and Hermione began setting up the tent while Glenn set to preparing them a meal. The tent was only vaguely magical. It was slightly expanded on the inside and had charms and wards to protect against intruders. Other than those minor adjustments, it was very much a normal tent.

They would all be bunking together. In part, this would support the idea that they were close. Further, it would provide them with more protection and a way to communicate in relative privacy.

Glenn pulled out a camp stove, fresh vegetables, pasta, and olive oil from his pack. It was decided that he would carry most of their food as he had more reason to have it. He could claim that all of it came from the block he had secured back in Atlanta.

He made quick work of the cooking in order to create pasta salad. He added some shelf stable salad dressing and pepper for flavor before quickly stowing those items back in his pack. He cooked up some canned chicken breast that he added in separately. Though it was a simple meal, it looked and smelled delicious. There was enough for all three of them to eat a hefty portion while still supplying some for the children at the camp. There weren't many, maybe 3 or 4, that were away from their parents. Those under two seemed to be sticking close to their mothers.

They ate their fill before inviting the children to eat the rest. The littlest child, a mere 4 year old boy, was helped by the oldest a 13 year old girl named Sophia. They ate quietly and thanked Harry, Hermione, and Glenn profusely for the food.

Hermione asked about the use of the restroom and was told their was a port-a-potty on the other side of camp. With as many people as there were at the camp, there was little doubt that the "facilities" were a cesspool of human filth. They had brought a portable camp toilet with them that would keep the smells at bay until they could bury the waste outside of camp. It suddenly seemed much more preferable to the port-a-potty.

Glenn stayed with the children to talk, and to weasel out information, while Harry and Hermione inspected the camp. It wasn't doing well. The lack of food was obvious, and more worrisome was the lack of defenses. The camp sat at the base of the quarry which provided it a wall on one side to protect them from invasion. The problem was that aside from location and the string of cans, there was very little in the way of protection.

There was another set of string cans near the tent next to them, and Harry could see that they had created a wide, man sized trench for Zs to fall into in case of attack. It was the most inventive and prepared thing he had seen at the camp. Most of the members were struggling to get through the days. They were trying to pretend that everything was normal, going through the motions, insisting that they were safe.

It was incredibly stupid.

Hermione used her gender to speak with the women on a more personal level. It was clear that one of the women, Carol, was being abused. The other woman comforted her, but what could they do about her brute of a husband? They were better off playing house, keeping her company, and not making waves. At least, that's what Lori had said. They had no business in someone else's marriage.

It was disgusting.

Had Hermione been a real member of this group, there was no doubt in her mind that Ed would no longer have the means to abuse his wife or child. If she had to take him out herself, she would. He was the scum of the earth. He was garbage. He was no man.

The women chatted about what they missed while Hermione fumed. They missed washing machines, cars, and vibrators. Having grown up muggle, Hermione understood how hard it could be to adjust to a world without modern convenience. Still, weren't there more important things to miss? A slight, blonde girl broke the easy camaraderie to say she missed her parents, she missed when her sister felt strong, she missed being happy…

Hermione liked her. This was not a time for easy jokes or making slight of the situation. Honesty, honesty would show who was ready for the life she and Harry could offer.

The women finished the laundry in tense silence. Hermione finished first with the blonde, Amy, right behind her. Hermione walked her back to camp and asked her more about her life. What would she do when she finally found safety?

"I don't know that anywhere is safe anymore. Andrea says we're safe here, but I can tell she doesn't believe it. I wish we could be somewhere else. I wish we could be somewhere they let her help." Amy cared for her sister. Andrea had always been strong and successful. Seeing her reduced to a housewife with no home was wrong.

When they made it back to camp, Lori accosted them and asked them why they weren't helping with the laundry. She had been watching the children, she proclaimed, and they needed to be doing their part. She was smug.

She reminded Hermione of Harry's aunt Petunia. There was so much anger in her, so much greed and hate. All she cared about was how others saw her and how she could get more power. There wasn't an ounce of warmth in her.

"Excuse me, I know for a fact that Glenn is watching the children that I just helped to feed not an hour ago. If you're going to lie, at least make it a convincing one. You've got a bit of grass in your hair and on your back that suggests what your real activities might have been."

Amy couldn't help the shocked laugh that escaped her as Hermione lit into Lori. Ever since Lori had gotten here the women had commented on how she slept around and ordered everyone around while doing nothing herself. It was about time someone let her have it.

Lori was furious as she stomped away. How dare that whore slander her name! She came riding into camp with two gorgeous men that she shared a tent with and Lori was the whore? Maybe she had been having a little fun with one of the men at the camp. Whose business was that but hers! The children were safe with the others, and they all deserved a little time to unwind.

She made her way back to her tent and pouted. Rick and Shane should be back soon. It was almost nightfall and she wanted to tell them what the new woman had said about her. If she twisted those words to her advantage...well, it's not like anyone would know.

She laid down to take a nap and hoped that her men would return soon. She had some vengeance to wreak.

 ***-*-*-*-*-* Cut Scene Cut Scene Cut Scene *-*-*-*-*-***

Jesse popped into Glenn's block and was not surprised to see several zombies had made their way over the fence. His crew popped in behind them and they dispatched the dead in front of them. They would need several hours to set up more permanent wards, and they still wouldn't be very strong until they were able to reinforce them for several days.

The Zs were stacking up on the wall, and there seemed to be hundreds of them trying to get in. They would need to work fast, and they would need to work together in order to make this happen. There were four walls that surrounded the block, so Jesse picked four men with warding skill to get started. He began laying the wardstones while they began spell casting. He started in one direction and asked another man to go the other way. They would meet in the middle to drop the last two stones.

Walking half of the perimeter took 45 minutes. He had to kill several zombies along the way that had managed to get over the wall. It was good that they had found the place when they did or the block would have been overrun by the next day.

Base wards took 2 hours of continuous magic to set. While the 4 warders were working, the rest of them were rounding up the last of the Zs and killing them. Then, they would begin finding what Harry had wanted.

Jesse decided to look for winter gear. The others would be handling the food and farming supplies. Jesse had a small home garden, but he was by no means an expert in farming. Thomas, his second in command, knew a lot more. He would be handling prioritizing equipment.

The PetSmart happened to have a lot of things that Harry hadn't thought to get. In fact, it was completely undisturbed. Jesse loaded up pet food, blankets, leashes, electric collars, bedding, and toys. If nothing else, the blankets and beds could be repurposed insulation and other heating need. While he was packing up, the pitiful sounds of hungry animals pulled at his heartstrings, so he took time to feed each of the animals that he could find. Pets found in a store like this weren't necessarily useful for the end of the world, but he couldn't let them starve. Leaving them to that kind of death was merciless when it took so little to help them. He would need to discuss this with Harry.

The guinea pigs were particularly affectionate when he fed them. Maybe he could sneak one home for Bella. She loved animals, and the responsibility might be good for her. Not to mention the joy of having a companion. He shrunk the required items for a guinea pig just in case and made a plan to come back for one of the tiny babies on his way out that night.

Just then he heard the sounds of footsteps outside the store. It had been a few hours, so the other men were likely in stores as well and done warding the walls for today. He stayed quiet and waited for the steps to pass. He could count maybe 5 or 10 men, his tracking skills weren't the best, and the heavy footfalls indicated that the guests were men.

The steps continued past the shop and up the street. Once they had passed he snuck out the front and watched the men enter the Whole Foods. They were big, and they appeared to be armed. He touched the coin around his neck and thought about the Pet Store hard. He wasn't sure how dangerous this would be, but Harry had made it clear that any sort of real danger meant he should use the coin.

Minutes later, Harry and Hermione appeared with a dual pop. They had side along apparated.

Jesse quickly explained the situation. The three of them quickly made a plan to approach with caution. They might be able to reason with these men. They began edging towards the Whole Foods with weapons out and ready.

Hermione stepped through the shattered glass stores first. She had been in the store for the longest amount of time the day before and knew the layout fairly well. She made it to the manager's room and unlocked the door with an alohomora. They crept inside to view the store through the 2 way glass.

They couldn't actually see all that much. There were several buff men looting whatever they saw - clearly not leaders. After they watched for a bit, 2 men that Jesse knew began sneaking towards the front doors.

His nephews. Jesse had found his nephews.

Without any warning he ran out of the manager's room towards his nephews.

"WAIT! WAIT, IT'S ME!" Jesse shouted. Merle stopped in his tracks while Daryl looked wide eyed towards the man who had been more of a father to him than his own Pa.

"Uncle...Uncle Jesse? You're...you're here?" Daryl whispered gruffly. It had been a while since they had seen one another. Several months and an apocalypse could make you doubt the things your eyes were seeing.

Jesse grabbed both boys in a hug. Merle was only a few years younger than him. Hell, he'd been 12 when Merle was born, but these were his boys.

"I found you," he whispered as he held them close. He was probably the only man in the entire world that Merle would deign to hug besides his brother.

Shane and Rick looked on with disbelief. These were the gruffest men at camp. They hardly said a word to anyone but each other, and yet here they were hugging a stranger. These men came back to camp each day carrying some sort of dead animal. They wouldn't talk to anyone at camp unless it was to insult them, but apparently they had people out there who loved them.

Harry and Hermione made their way out of the manager's room at a more sedate pace. Evidently, Jesse had found the nephews he had mentioned, and they both looked forward to bringing them back to the compound. These men were useful, and they were brave. It didn't hurt that they were strong either.

Harry thought the older one reminded him a bit of Mad Eye Moody. He had a gruff exterior, scars, and he even had the same scraggly hair. It seemed the world had been a bit kinder to this man than it had been to Moody though. He wasn't missing any limbs, and his eyes were still intact. Daryl reminded him a bit of Sirius. It was obvious he didn't smile much, so maybe it was more in the way he carried himself. He looked like he'd lived through hardship, through hate, and made it out the other side.

The non-hugging members of the groups eyed one another warily. The other group outnumbered Harry and Hermione, but it was clear they didn't really want to mess with them.

Finally, Rick made his way to Harry and introductions were made. Hermione was treated like a bystander, a helpless victim, so it hardly seemed like these men would make fine additions to their Haven.

"Look we don't want any trouble," Rick started, "we're just looking for supplies. We've got a group out by the quarry. Why don't we just keep our peace, get what we need, and go our separate ways."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Harry replied. Hermione shot him a look that he knew meant, 'stick to the plan!' He kept his mouth closed about their visit to the quarry that day and their subsequent plan to stay for awhile.

Jesse spent some time talking with his boys before they went off to gather supplies. With more privacy he was able to tell them that he could take them back to the Haven and they would be safe.

They raised some questions first. There were children back at the quarry who were helpless. Who would help them if they weren't around? Jesse proceeded to tell them of Harry and Hermione's plan. It would be a little difficult, but they could modify the memories of the men present to think they had meet Harry and Hermione back at the camp upon their return.

Merle and Daryl agreed to join the Haven as soon as Harry and Hermione were done vetting those at the camp. They had their own suspicions about how two such little people could keep them safe, but magic had shown them that appearances were hardly ever what they seemed. Harry had a harshness in his eyes that Merle had only ever seen in battle hardened men. It was a harshness that demanded respect.

They continued packing bags while Daryl observed his new leaders. Watching Harry and Hermione banter back and forth while packing bags and continuing to hash out plans gave him hope.

At the very least they would be better than the Shane and Rick Dick Measuring Show.

Jesse walked over to Harry to discuss the imminent memory charms as well as his plans for the pet store. Harry agreed with both. It was decided that Jesse's crew would remain a few hours after the Quarry crew left in order to put things in order and add to the wards a bit more. Jesse suggested leaving some men to sleep over, but they agreed that it was really too dangerous.

They packed and packed. Hermione attempted to talk with Shane about the best foods to take only for him to dismissively tell her "not to worry your pretty little head about it." She hadn't been so offended since Malfoy had called her a Mudblood the first time.

Harry spoke quietly with Rick about the needs of the people. He hinted that food and medical supplies would soon be in short supply. Best to stock up while he still could. Rick was much more receptive to outsider ideas than Shane, but it was clear that he was still struggling with wanting to be in charge and still wanting to please others. His relationship with Shane was a ticking time bomb that Harry didn't want to be involved with at all.

Jesse packed up the animals and prepared for a return trip to the Haven. Bella was going to be so excited that he couldn't wait. He made sure to pack up as much food as possible. There was very little in the way of medical supplies for the animals, but Jesse recalled that Maggie had said Hershel was a vet. Life was getting better and better despite the shitty circumstances outside their walls. He was happy to be able to provide some normalcy for his little pumpkin.

He snagged another hug from his boys before he left and told them he would be waiting on their arrival. It would take a few trip to get all of the animals, but he was ready. Harry and Hermione were making sure everyone stayed in the Whole Foods until he was finished.

Hermione began packing some things for the women back at camp. She knew from being there that they were suffering from a lack of foresight from their leaders. Shane refused to think of the women as anything other than chattel while Rick tried placate Shane at every turn. It was leading to upheaval.

If no one else would think of the women, perhaps Hermione could at least make their lives a little more bearable. Baby things, tampons, pads, midol, and multivitamins went into her pack. Part of her hoped to bring more of these things back to their compound, but some of the women would surely be joining them. They needed help now, and she couldn't leave them to suffer because of their chauvinistic male leaders.

She found herself more and more grateful that Ron hadn't joined them. He was always so jealous, so traditional, that it was hard not to compare him to Shane. He wanted to be in charge, but he didn't know how to lead. He assumed that leadership meant power when both Harry and Hermione knew that it actually meant being willing to suffer before allowing others to do so. It meant putting yourself in danger to assure the survival of others. Even more so, it meant fighting to come back not for yourself, but for the sake of others who depended on you.

It meant not being stupid. That seemed like a hard thing for some of the men she had met to comprehend. Unnecessary risks could lead to ruin. Not thinking of your entire group meant leaving them wanting.

Shane would definitely be on his own.

Harry and Hermione were good at watching and packing at the same time. They watched the way the members of the group interacted. It was clear that Shane was respected, but it was also evident that he was feared. When one of the men accidentally knocked into him they were treated with a view of his infamous temper.

Rick was weak. He didn't seem like a bad man, but he lacked the willpower to make his opinions heard. Even physically he seemed tired and wasted.

Merle and Daryl were a packaged deal. That much was evident just from seeing the way they stayed with each other, protected each other, and even messed with each other. Merle was harsher in demeanor, but he cared. Daryl was quiet, the kind of quietness one gained from knowing that noise attracted attention.

They were efficient, and they operated on their own. While they were a part of the group, they still seemed detached from it. Watching Daryl pick up some empty cans that Glenn had left by the front door and some string, Harry suddenly knew who had stung up the makeshift zombie detectors at camp.

The other men were forgettable. They played more than they worked, and they worked very little. Harry would be shocked if they lived more than a year with that attitude.

Finally, it was time to head out. Rick had mentioned being out of the city before nightfall, and Shane actually listened for once. The SUV and truck had been packed to the gills, and the zombies had actually cleared out wards lessened the smells inside the walls, so it was quite possible they simply lost interest for easier prey.

Harry and Hermione would need to find a ride as they had apparated. Hermione was going to squeeze into the truck with Daryl and Merle. They had offered her a spot after she helped them to find some hidden liquor in the store.

Harry knew there were a few motorcycles near the metal shop. He was able to procure one rather easily. A few charms ensured that it wouldn't fall over on top of him. He improved the balance and added a few defensive charms as well. The vehicle wouldn't be protected against the Zs, so it would be very important that he stay at a high speed between the Truck and SUV if possible.

Jesse and his crew would be staying back under the guise that they had chosen to go their separate ways.

Merle and Daryl started the truck first. Harry fired up the bike next. Finally, the SUV was ready to go. Merle signaled out the front window that they were leaving, and they all began the long trek back to the quarry.

The sun stayed high in the sky as they sped out the city they way they had come into it. The weapons had been unattainable, but the journey was not wasted. They all remained unaware of the horde making it's way to the quarry. Only time would tell if they would be able to make it back in time to save their people from painful ruin.

 ***-*-*-*-*-* Author's Note *-*-*-*-*-***

Tbh, grades were due at school this week, so the last two weeks I have been frantic to get all that mess done. If you know a teacher, love on them this time of year.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter! The crew is finally, somewhat, together. It took some doing to figure out how to make it work while leaving the colony protected. It still came out a little odd, but I hope it worked.

Lots of questions about animagus forms. Short answer is neither Harry nor Hermione will have one. I'm keeping their abilities fairly close to what they were in the books.

Also lots of questions about Hermione's romantic interest. I've decided not to go with Merle. To be honest, I don't think they would work unless Merle went under a dramatic personality shift. Hermione is too strong willed for him, and all I see is them fighting ALL the time. I briefly considered femslash, but that will be left to other characters.

Plans are in the works though, so give it time. It's a slow burn after all. :)


	6. No Crying in the Boat

***-*-*-*-*-* Last time on POP *-*-*-*-*-***

Merle and Daryl started the truck first. Harry fired up the bike next. Finally, the SUV was ready to go. Merle signaled out the front window that they were leaving, and they all began the long trek back to the quarry.

The sun stayed high in the sky as they sped out the city they way they had come into it. The weapons had been unattainable, but the journey was not wasted. They all remained unaware of the horde making it's way to the quarry. Only time would tell if they would be able to make it back in time to save their people from painful ruin.

 ***-*-*-*-*-* This time on POP *-*-*-*-*-***

The trip back to the quarry occurred without much incident. As usual, they had to stop and reroute at certain infested points, but there seemed to be a silent agreement to get home quickly. Each kill was clean and efficient. At one point, Harry and Hermione faked difficulty in moving a barricade of cars in order to cast subtle memory charms on Rick, Shane, and their group. They weren't terribly strong, but they did change the memories so everyone besides Daryl and Merle would believe they had just met Hermione and Harry at the barricade.

It wasn't long before they approached the edge of the camp marked off by the barrier of gently swaying cans. Smoke rose in the air from various fires, and the sounds of children went a long way to soothe the nerves of those who had volunteered to go to Atlanta. They piled out of the vehicles as people came up to help unload the supplies. For the moment, there was peace and hope.

Merle and Daryl returned to their area of the grounds with little fanfare. A shared glance, a clap on the back, and they were off. Harry had realized earlier that they weren't ones for small talk, so he took no offence.

Hermione grabbed Harry by the hand and tugged him towards their own tent. They hadn't truly been able to talk without being overheard since earlier that morning, and they had much to discuss. Some of the members of the camp stopped what they were doing to stare or whisper, but the Hogwarts duo were much too driven to notice.

The tent unzipped and they both dipped inside, oblivious to the leers of their fellow campmates who assumed they were up to some private business. It seemed that the end of the world didn't mean the end of gossip.

"God, what a mess we've got ourselves into. These people...Harry, I can cover here tonight while you check in with Jess at the compound.I'm sure he could use some help with strategizing for how to get all of that equipment home. I'll just tell everyone you wanted a bit of a lie down if they bother to ask."

"Thanks, Hermione. I'll do that after dinner. In the meantime, how are we doing on supplies for this camp?"

"They desperately needed that run Harry. I know we saw mismanaged sanctuaries at Hogwarts, but to not even consider the needs of the people, to ask them what they need, it's inhumane. I don't know how the women here stand it. I'm sure you've noticed that the men love to prance about pretending they know everything while they leave the women to do all the housework and watch after the children. They treat Andrea and Carol like house elves."

Harry interrupted before Hermione could wind herself up further. It was obvious that the camp had gone back to the dark ages when it came to work distribution. He cleared his throat to slow her train of thought.

"I know. We will be able to help these people Hermione; it's just a matter of time. We can watch for a few days to see who would fit. Obviously Shane isn't a good fit, but I see potential in some of the others. If we give it some time, I'm sure we can make things better around here for the women, more equitable, and then we can go back to the compound and ensure things are staying fair there. In the meantime, what supplies did we manage to bring back for them?"

"Well, a lot of things were brought back that won't do a whole lot of good. Chips, caffeinated beverages, things with little nutritional value. I snuck in the good stuff where I could, but a little education on rationing and protein necessity would be a godsend. They seem so much more concerned about the short term than they do the long term, and the longer they think like that the longer they will be stuck living minute to minute. This camp isn't fortified, and with the rate of those zombie packs...who knows how much longer everyone will be able to stay together like this. Honestly, it would probably be better for everyone if they split into smaller groups that were easier to provide for and transport."

Hermione's fingers were twitching like she was itching to write a list. Harry grabbed a notepad and pencil from his backpack so she could jot down her observations. He took a breath before asking a question he was dreading.

"How long do you think the camp can hold?"

"I think with luck it can make it for a few days. Should luck not be on our side, I would be surprised if we made it through tomorrow with no incidents. They haven't made any effort to defend this place, and relying on a natural barrier is risky at best." Hermione glanced at him worriedly.

They had intended to stay for several weeks, but that was looking unlikely. They wouldn't be able to cast the wards necessary for the place by themselves, especially under such a time crunch. The quarry would fall, and perhaps the ensuing chaos would show who had what it takes to survive in this new world. For now, they would play the waiting game.

They made a show of going out, greeting Glenn who was making dinner, and sitting down to eat. It was a bit early for dinner at only 5 or so in the evening, but Harry's errands were best done sooner rather than later. It wouldn't do to look suspicious, so they remained friendly throughout their dinner, gave their "leftovers" to some of the nearby children who had been playing, and Harry retired to the tent for a pretend nap.

With a pop, he arrived at the bottom of the compound driveway and began the arduous task of walking up the hill. He wondered about the practicality and effort involved in installing some sort of ski lift, but that was mostly a pipedream to keep him occupied on his walk. As he neared the midway point, he happened upon a Sphinx devouring a walker. It was only visible from the corner of his eye, but he couldn't help but think how ingenious it was to bring such a creature to their stronghold. Walkers lacked the ability to talk, and thus, could not answer riddles. Furthermore, if a walker threatened a sphynx den then they would be gobbled up immediately.

He did pause to wonder if the walker was safe for the sphinx to eat, but given the various myths and lore he had learned about them, he figured it should be fine. He continued on to the main doors, put in the passcode, and made his way towards the group in the middle of the camp who were busy unloading, sorting, and storing the goods from that day's haul. After some quick greetings, Jesse and Harry adjourned to the kitchen to discuss the plans for the next few days.

They discussed the progress of the wards at Glenn's camp first. Everything had been completed to keep the block safe for at least another week. After that, the wards would need to be renewed to prevent weakness and collapse. Generally, wards would last longer, but the constant barrage from the undead would weaken the wards exponentially. It would be difficult to keep up the wards for more than 3 or 4 weeks, so it was their hope to clear every scrap from the block before the wards inevitably fell.

"Harry, I know you're on a limited amount of time here, so I think it would be good to discuss our long term plans again. We're running out of storage space, and while I'm actually thankful that's our biggest problem, we do need to figure out what to do since we're planning on clearing out those stores and more eventually," Jesse stated.

Harry weakly smiled in his direction before replying, "I do have a very unstructured idea for that. As you know, there's about 30 miles between this place and the Green Farm. Obviously we can't just ward 30 + miles right now, but I think it might be a great long term goal. Assuming we continue to recruit and rescue, that amount of land would be veritably equal to the Hogwarts grounds, Forbidden Forest, and Hogsmeade. I would love to eventually absorb the Greene farm, with their permission of course, and allow them to continue living on their own land."

Jesse paused with his head tilted and considered various options. 30 miles was a LOT of land to cover, especially with warding magic. However, the benefits were undeniable when considering strategic ways to protect the people and supplies within their walls. They could have 2 or more farms, a small town to work the land, keep the animals, and continue building. The space would make sanitation and disease control far easier, not to mention decreasing the closed in feelings that were already affecting those inside the walls.

The logistics of it all would be a true nightmare. The safest and most efficient idea he could think of would be to start at the finish line. If he could ward the Green Farm and build the walls to mirror those of their current citadel's then he could have two teams work to make the two citadels meet in the middle. Once the initial walls were built they could add an additional perimeter wall to surround their entire 30 miles of territory. From there, adding magical creatures and traps to the forest would make them virtually indestructible from that side while the cameras and drones could patrol the weaker points of the keep.

Harry didn't really know the area like the warding team, but this would also allow them access to two small lakes between the properties. One lake was near the Greene's and had clearly been used for fishing. They could repurpose the other lake as a source of irrigation water if times ever got tough.

It would be a difficult, time consuming process, but the rewards were worth the risk. He estimated a minimum of 2 months to complete all of the work, but that did include to bevy of interruptions that were sure to occur.

"It can be done Harry, and I can begin work on it as soon as tomorrow if you wish. It's going to be time consuming, but we could have the entire 30 miles cleared, warded, and ready to inhabit by August. Should our luck hold we could have the Greene's back on their own land in as little as two weeks. If we were both planting for winter then we should have plenty of crops between the two farms to not need to dip into our supplies an awful lot this winter."

Harry's shoulders sagged with immediate relief as he answered, " If you are comfortable leaving your crew to handle Glenn's block then it would be a lifesaver for you to start tomorrow. Take a man or two with you for warding, and once things are safe feel free to bring the Greene's to get started cleaning the place up."

With the most difficult conversation out of the way, Jesse drew up a plan for a barn to be built near the fields for the large equipment being brought in. At present, they only had a little gas, so that was put on their list of immediate supply needs. They discussed clearing out the entirety of the Home Depot for all of their upcoming building projects. Some of the ladies would be working on some of the building kits while the warders and magicals were completing the clear out. Each family house would soon have several raised garden beds for personal use as well as a communal hen hutch for morning eggs. If nothing else the beds would provide basic gardening skills for all while the separate hutches for hens and even rabbits would be a way to prevent disease for the animals.

Hermione had given Harry plans for a community pantry where the citizens inside their walls could "shop" for their needs. It would be a small building where basic supplies for the home and personal hygiene could be gathered without scrutiny. The shelves could be spelled to only allow so many of the product to be given to a household for a period of time to prevent hoarding. Harry passed off the plans to Jesse who would be giving to plans to one of his men to complete by the end of the week.

Harry's time was running short if he wanted to avoid suspicion, so he ended their planning meeting by discussing potential new members. Hermione had made a list for that as well, and Harry discussed the pros and cons of each potential member with Jesse to see if he had further insight.

"We really need more members who know how to use a gun or are comfortable being trained. Magic is great, and it's keeping us safe, but if we want to be able to raid, ward, and build all at the same time then we need more hands. Magicals are going to be hard to find, but finding someone who can use a gun in the south is easy as pie. Anyone who has a special skill like carpentry, gardening, city planning, and even conflict resolution would be invaluable. Magic can speed things up, but we need people who know what they are doing and how to contribute. Obviously, women and children would be a blessing around here, and a good heart is worth just as much as a skill. Use your best judgement Harry. I know you'll do what's right, "Jesse said with a faint smile.

They hugged briefly, more a clap on the back really, before Harry prepared to disapparate back to camp. With a deep breath and a very faint pop, he appeared back in the tent. He could see the outline of Hermione outside the tent doors. Her silhouette appeared nonchalant at first glance, but he could see the subtle tensing in her shoulders that signalled her alertness.

With the most sincere yawn he could muster, he unzipped the tent and stepped outside. Hermione's shoulders eased as she asked him about the citadel. After going over the updates in brief, they discussed the normal goingson of the camp that continued in his absence. Hermione spent her waiting time reading through the veterinary book that Hershel had given them and talking with Amy when she stopped by.

Once caught up, they began writing the list of potentials they had spoken about throughout the day. Andrea, Amy, Merle, Daryl, T-Dawg, Carol, and Sophia were added to their paper with short notes by each person. Hermione made it quite clear that Carol and Sophia would not be coming if Ed Peletier was allowed, and Harry had no qualms with that condition. Even from their far out spot in the camp it was apparent that Ed liked to shout, drink, and abuse. There was no room for that sort in their home.

Harry offered to take the first watch as Hermione looked completely knackered. She quietly went inside the tent, and he could feel the slight tingle of her magic as she set alarms, protection spells, and the simplest of wards.

He poked at their small fire (spelled to smoke only faintly), and settled in on the cushion Hermione had vacated. He brought his small planning notebook back out and looked over all their previous notes. It was strangely comforting to be back in the habit of running for his life, but he knew better than to wallow in a feeling for too long.

Quiet footsteps interrupted him as he was sketching out plans for the much larger, and hopefully improved, citadel. He glanced up surreptitiously to see Daryl eyeing him from his tent a few feet away. It probably should have felt invasive, but Harry understood curiosity. He couldn't count how many times he had stared at a new person and wondered what role they might occupy in his life.

"Do you want to hear about your uncle," Harry called softly from his cushion.

There was silence, but it felt warm - friendly even. Daryl shuffled over a bit closer and offered Harry a camp plate of freshly cooked meat. Not one to turn down food, Harry took it gratefully and gestured for Daryl to sit on the other cushion.

"I met Jesse when he was helping me build our citadel. We had noticed the warning signs of danger while we were in England, and some quick research led us to purchase some land and attempt to set up shop in America as quickly as we could. Your uncle was leading the team working on our property, and I knew from our first meeting that he was a good man."

Harry paused to eat some of the squirrel. It was simple, and it was tasty. Daryl hadn't moved or shown much interest in his story, but he had pulled out a stick and a sharp knife to set about whittling. Harry prepared to continue.

"The first few days were hard and long, but I think all the days since then have been the same. It's a new world now after all. We invited your uncle as our very first member, and Bella too of course, and he moved in the next day. I really don't know what we would have done without him. Hermione and I are soldiers, but the day to day can be overwhelming. We're used to running and fighting, but making sure people are happy and cared for? Well...we try, but we're not really used to nurturing."

Harry stared off into the fire remembering some of his attempts at care. Teddy most noticeably sprung to mind with his endless joy and boundless energy, but there were many attempts throughout his life. It was only in this moment that he really understood Ron's lack of willingness to believe. Harry and Hermione were always on edge, so much had been stolen from them, and the personal attacks had left permanent scars. They held people at a distance, and though they cared, the care was limited and stunted. They didn't make new friends after the war, they didn't live the "regular" early 20's life that Ron so willingly embraced. They both spent about 2 years in therapy with mind healers, and most of their free time was spent at home. It had been easy for them to believe the end was coming, but that was because they never truly believed the end had stopped coming. They had been granted a brief, but pleasant, intermission.

Molly had of course encouraged them to get out and find love. She even suggested they go on a date with each other as they seemed so close. Hermione had attempted a few relationships with men she knew from work, but the damage had been done. No one really understood her life, her petrification, the fear that she lived with from age 11 to present. No one felt her torture like she did every night in her dreams. No one really understood her choice to wipe her parent's memories to keep them safe. She was a soldier, and most of the men she knew had done a bang up job of pretending that a war had never even happened.

Harry was even more hesitant to get involved with someone new. Based on his disastrous attempts with women his own age, he attempted to date older for a few months. He courted a 30 year old from the Department of Mysteries for a few months, but there was no spark. He tried to be a good sport when Ron drug him out to clubs, and he had a few casual hookups, but nothing ever seemed to stick. Really, relationships just felt like more trouble than they were worth, and it was very difficult for him to share anything with the women in his life because there was no way they would ever understand.

"Jesse is a good man," came Daryl's quiet voice from his left side. He didn't look up from his whittling, but Harry was surprised by the conversation. Daryl seemed like a man of few words, and Harry could respect that.

Harry smiled, "He is."

That sat in companionable silence while Harry wrote in his book and Daryl continued his crafting. The night was peaceful as most of the campers had gone to bed, and the fires were slowly dying. The soft night breeze soothed Harry's frayed nerves, and the sounds of the night lulled him into an almost sleep. His eyes drooped further, and he fell into a light sleep.

Daryl sat quietly and continued his whittling. He would be switching watch with Merle soon, but he was comfortable for now. He continued carving a proud raven, adding detailed feathers and claws as the night continued.

Several hours later, Harry awoke to soft footsteps leading away from the cushions and the unzipping of the tent. Hermione made her way to the other cushion, and he could see the tip of her wand pointing out of her sleeve. He moved inside of the tent, and laid down on their sleeping bag. It was then he discovered a small protrusion in his jacket pocket. He reached his hand in, traced the object with his fingers, and finally pulled out a small bear carving.

He drifted back to sleep holding the bear delicately with a small, secretive smile. For the first time since the beginning of the war, he had made a new friend.

 ***-*-*-*-*-* Cut Scene *-*-*-*-*-**-*-*-*-*-* Cut Scene *-*-*-*-*-**-*-*-*-*-* Cut Scene *-*-*-*-*-***

Harry came awake to a quiet whisper from Hermione that it was morning. They had gotten away from their routine lately, and they had discussed getting back into it the prior scrubbed his face hard, waved his wand, and was ready for their morning run. He swapped places with Hermione so she could change privately.

The war proved early on that physical fitness was key in dueling as well as maneuverability. Being fit could and did make the difference between life and death when facing magical opponents, and it seemed even more important now that their foes seemingly didn't feel pain, hunger, exhaustion, or fear.

They placed monitoring charms for breathing, heart rate, and speed before strapping their wands to hip holsters. Prior to the last week they had been running roughly 8 miles each morning before work. However, accounting for their lack of practice, they prepared for 6. They would be doing a full circle around the bottom of the camp before heading up to the top of the quarry. From there, they would be able to see any upcoming threats and plan accordingly.

They left just as Merle and Daryl were heading out for the morning hunt. Merle sent a quick salute, and off they went.

The first mile was always the hardest. They took it relatively slow, and occasionally chatted as they went. They had decided after the war that runs should be a "shop talk free time," so no business talk was allowed. They discussed food, friends, weapons preferences, etc. but they avoided anything too serious. As they began looping out away from camp, they came across some zombies that they dispatched with wands. It had only been a few, but it was proof that the boundaries of the camp weren't as safe as the refugees believed. They continued, killing stray walkers as they went. As they neared the top of the quarry, Hermione asked for a break. They found a log, sat quietly, and enjoyed the quiet before walking that last kilometer to the top.

They appreciated the view as much as they could before casting charms to sharpen eyesight. The spell allowed them to zoom in using their eyes. At present, there didn't appear to be any hordes near the camp. There was a very small group of zombies gathering on the road nearly 12 miles away, but the dead tended to gather and travel fast. They would need to keep an eye on it and possibly warn the others within the few next days.

They made their way back down at a swift pace. As they were coming back to camp, they were met by Daryl and Merle carrying a large deer for stripping. Hermione asked if she could watch and learn, and she took the grunts as permission. She went off while Harry met with Glenn and began the process of making breakfast with what they had in their packs.

He summoned a few eggs from the citadel that he knew wouldn't be missed. He could always say he had found them while he and Hermione had been on their run. He set about making some quick omelettes, searing some canned tomatoes, and putting together a plate of crackers smeared with peanut butter. It wasn't the best breakfast he had ever made, but it would be filling, nutritious, and give them the protein they needed for a long day.

A few of the children from yesterday stood near and waited for some food. He wondered at the last time they had 3 square meals a day and vowed to continue making extra for as long as they stayed.

With the youngsters fed peanut butter crackers and canned tomatoes, Harry whipped up some more, ate, and delivered plates to Glenn and Hermione. While he was trekking out to Hermione he heard some of the men talking about going back into Atlanta that day. Apparently, Shane was still determined to get the guns, and he wanted to make one more attempt. He had been rounding up men all morning, but it seemed as though Harry, Glenn, Merle, and Daryl had not yet been considered.

Hermione met Harry half way and ate her plate on the way back to their little corner of the camp. They discussed going into Atlanta, but decided that staying with the camp served their long term purposes better. Glenn would be going along, with an emergency portkey, mostly to check up on Atlanta and see if there were more survivors. They encouraged him to scavenge while there, and gave him two bottomless bags just in case. One had some emergency supplies, while the other was empty and waiting to be filled.

Glenn spoke with Rick briefly, flashed them a thumbs up, and started helping the nearby men load up the SUV with weapons.

Hermione went to speak with Andrea while Harry roamed the camp. They both wanted to try to get to know some of the campers, and they figured it would be easier if they split up. While near the Peletier RV he could hear some rough smacking sounds followed by some quiet whimpers. Just as he was preparing to enter the RV, Ed came stomping out, red faced, and headed to the latrine ditch. He could hear Sophia crying inside while Carol shushed her gently.

He quickly set up monitoring charms to warn him of Ed's imminent return before entering the tent. The place was very tidy, but there was broken glass on the floor, and blood seemed to be splattered on some of the walls. Carol looked up at him with fright as he entered, and he caught her subtle shifting of Sophia so that she was hidden behind Carol's body.

When she saw he wasn't Ed he watched shame fill her every pore. He looked on with empathy as he moved closer to gently examine her.

"Oh Carol, what has he done to you?" He asked as he turned over her cut up hands and gently brushed her recent black eye.

"It's nothing Harry. I dropped a glass, and then I tripped. It's all my fault really." She whispered this cautiously. He could see the way she winced every time she breathed, a motion he was familiar with as he remembered years of punches and kicks from his beloved relatives. He spent most of his childhood nursing bruised and broken ribs.

"Carol, none of this is your fault." Harry couldn't do anything for the wounds without using his wand or taking her back to his tent. With the defensive stance she was currently in, he doubted either option were really welcome.

He went to the nearby sink to wet some paper towels and was surprised when Sophia brought him a first aid kit. He was less surprised to find the kit well stocked with both usual and unusual supplies. He didn't know many people who kept suture kits, multiple splints, trauma dressing, and mounds of gauze.

He quietly set about cleaning her up. They sat in silence for most of the time, and while Carol tensed while he was wrapping her ribs, she seemed to relax the slightest bit as he continued to be gentle and quiet.

As he was cleaning up the wrappers and bloody alcohol wipes, Carol hugged Sophia tight and whispered into her ear. The monitoring charm Harry had set off began to vibrate slightly signaling that Ed was soon to return.

He slipped outside to buy them some time and attempt to control the situation. He considered putting up privacy charms, but that would likely cause more questions than allowing the ensuing argument to be heard.

Ed came through the trees rubbing his hands against his filthy pants. The minute he noticed Harry by the camper his eyes seemed to fill with fire. He stomped over and pushed Harry, shouting at him to get away from his property.

"Ed, calm down. I merely want to speak with you," Harry began calmly before dodging a punch.

Daryl came around the corner swiftly. He had heard Ed shouting from across the camp, and curiosity more than care called him to watch the ongoing scene.

The fight was honestly over before it even began. Harry dodged Ed's punch, grabbed him by the arm, and used the hold to pin Ed against his chest. While Harry was by no means a muscular man, he did know how to use momentum, speed, and pressure points to his advantage. Ed tried pushing, rolling, and thrashing out of the hold, but every time he moved his simply forced Harry's hold on Ed's neck to tighten and his elbow to drive more forcefully into Ed's ribs.

Everyone was now watching Harry, a man they had written off as quiet, skinny, and weird, force a much larger man into submission. Ed continued yelling and thrashing while Harry simply withstood his tantrum and tightened his hold until Ed was red in the face and weakening.

Daryl looked on with intrigue. From his experience, most magic users relied on their powers for everything. Jesse had been the only magical Daryl had ever met who used his hands for work, and even then it was clear that his first instinct was to reach for his wand first and use physical force second. Yet, here was a man who knew how to fight - who knew how to use his body to his advantage. This wasn't the kind of fighting you learned from schoolyard scraps, and that much was clear.

Harry brought Ed to the ground on his knees before he began whispering in his ear.

"Now, Ed. I know tensions are high right now, but I feel it's my civic duty to tell you a thing or two about the way things are going to be from now on. The next time I get even the smallest suspicion that you're thinking of laying hands on your wife, I'm going to put you out of your pitiful fucking miserable existence. If it weren't for this crowd, I might even consider doing it right now. The pain will be infinitely more horrifying should I find out you've done anything similar to your daughter. I don't like bullies Ed, I don't like drunks, and I definitely don't respect a man who feels powerful when subjecting innocents to vicious treatment. It ends today Ed, or I end you."

The onlookers watched, some horrified and some pleased, as Harry dumped Ed forward on the ground and stood to brush off his pants. Ed grunted and began to get up while Harry turned to leave. Ed grinned maliciously as he pulled back to punch Harry while his back was turned only to end up flat on his back, unconscious, with a bloody nose. A few men went to help get Ed back into the RV, and Harry calmly broke through the circle of spectators to head back to the tent.

Daryl moved back to the far side of the camp to finish up with preparing the deer meat. If nothing else, the repetitive process would give him time to consider the new magic using conundrum in their camp.

 ***-*-*-*-*-* Cut Scene *-*-*-*-*-**-*-*-*-*-* Cut Scene *-*-*-*-*-**-*-*-*-*-* Cut Scene *-*-*-*-*-***

Andrea had invited Hermione along on a short fishing trip she had planned with Amy the night before. They had an old aluminum boat and a single person kayak, so Amy had volunteered to take the kayak so Andrea could teach Hermione the basics of fishing.

Hermione was much more used to books and magic than she was the outdoors and fishing for dinner. She was excited for the experience, but she also knew that her focus needed to be more driven towards finding out information about the members of the camp.

Andrea's hands were graceful from practice as she showed Hermione how to thread the line in the rod and put the bait on the hook. The children of the camp had been helpful in hunting for bait earlier that day, so they had no need to worry about running low. They planned to spend several hours out on the boat, and Amy and Andrea had already put out a few traps in an attempt to catch more fish.

Hermione watched in fascination as the other women cast their lines into the water. It seemed so easy, but surely there was more too it than simply putting a baited string into the water. Andrea laughed as she caught Hermione's calculating look before helping Hermione to cast her own rod. The sunshine warmed their backs, and the world seemed almost peaceful for the first time in weeks. Hermione reminded herself to not be fooled by one calm moment as it was often when the guard was down that the enemy decided to strike. They chatted easily about better times, and Hermione mentally noted the ways the two sisters might be useful. Conversation was easily swayed to some of the members of the camp, and Hermione took mental notes on who to watch closer.

They spent the morning and some of the afternoon out on the pond. Andrea caught most of the fish, but Amy and Hermione helped to add to the pile. For once, there would be plenty to eat that night. At one point, a few of the women from camp had come to do laundry and check on them, and several offered to forage for nuts and berries to go with the meal.

Eventually, the afternoon began to wane, and they knew it was time to get back to the camp. They each took a line of caught fish and walked steadily to the food prep area. Andrea and Amy had volunteered to clean and cook the fish, so Hermione planned to check in with Harry and compare notes for the day. While her afternoon had been quiet, she now felt fully vindicated in her opinion that Andrea and Amy would make good additions to the citadel.

She found Harry helping some of the older women to prepare several sides at their section of the camp. Word must have gotten around that the catch had been good that day. Canned green beans, boxed potatoes au gratin, canned corn, and boxed couscous would round out the meal while still making it appear as though they were being careful with their supplies. As she walked up to Harry she caught the motion of him slipping a potion into one of the pots.

"Nutrient Potion?" she asked.

"Yeah. I figured it wouldn't hurt to help them stay healthy while we were here. The kids at least should be spared the pains of hunger." He said this matter of factly.

She joined in on finishing up the sides and quietly spoke with him about her day on the water. He mentioned the incident with Carol and Ed, and Hermione's opinion of the situation was reinforced. Ed was not welcome, so they hoped against hope that Carol would be willing to leave him behind for the sake of her and her daughter's lives.

Some of the women who had gone foraging had managed to find a wild apple tree, and Harry made quick work of frying up what was brought to him with just the barest hint of sugar and cinnamon.

They all brought the sides over to the more communal area that was designated as their dining spot. The fish smelled divine, and the smoky glaze scent brought the rest of the camp towards the fire. Harry and Hermione laid out the sides, previously charmed to stay warm, and waited for the meal to commence.

Andrea and Amy were in charge of dishing out the fish so that everyone could get a portion. Even though many fish had been caught that day, there was truly only enough for each person to have one fish. It was more than many of them had eaten in one meal since the walker mess had started, so most went up to retrieve their fish gratefully and proceeded on with great joy to the sides where Hermione and Harry would heap their plates high.

The air seemed lighter, less tense, heightened by the camaraderie of the crowd. The children's eyes shined with glee as they stuffed their mouths happily. The adults, too, seemed to relax for the first time in ages. It was a joy to behold.

In the midst of all of the eating and celebrating, Hermione and Harry too the opportunity to observe once of the people seemed ordinary, though some appeared more guarded and some far too carefree to ever be of interest for their and Merle stuck to themselves, but many of the campers took the time to go around, help the children, collect plates, etc. That helpfulness showed a civility, a dedication to take care of one another, that would be worth it's weight in gold in their growing walled city. Without a "leader" the group seemed to flourish.

It was at that moment that they could hear a car horn blaring obscenely from the road. Harry took charge and yelled instructions to retreat further back into the camp. The car could signal the approach of some sort of raiding party, and Harry felt that he had to step forward to protect the people. He placed quick camouflage charms on the tents with Hermione's help. They were subtle, but they would need to remove them before the campers found out to avoid suspicion. They quickly aguamenti'd the fire and covered the logs, ashes, and rocks with dirt. There wasn't really time to cast any more defenses as the horn nearly shouted at them with it's closeness.

They crouched and raised guns. Their wands were tucked back into the invisible holsters on their hips in case they were needed.

"HARRY! HERMIONE! IT'S GLENN!"

This was shouted from the window of the car with the irritating horn. Glenn was beaming happily from the car, though he did look a little roughed up and dirty. Clearly, they had missed a grand adventure, but his smile told a story about his victory.

Harry and Hermione quickly cancelled the spells they had cast and rushed forward to check on Glenn. The others had pulled up in the black SUV and were piling out with supplies. Glenn popped open the hood of the flashy car and Harry poked around inside. He could pretend knowledge of a car to the others, but he really just cast a silencio to stop the horn and pretended to cut a wire in the hood.

With that taken care of and Hermione inspecting Glenn for injuries, Harry looked over at the others to see if anyone was missing or hurt. The other men also looked a bit worse for wear in the dirt department, but no one was missing any limbs or spilling an insane amount of blood, so he assumed they were fine. He turned to Glenn who began regaling him with a tale about some men who had kidnapped him. They had been in a warehouse, and he found out they were caring for their elderly. They were strong men, but they were too loyal to abandon their relatives. While alone, Glenn had started telling them about the citadel, and he offered them the portkey. They had taken it, but would like to speak with "the leaders" before deciding anything permanently one way or the other. They called themselves the Vatos.

The other men had eventually shown up to rescue Glenn at the urging of Rick. That action revealed that Rick had a good nature, and it also showed the priorities of the other men. There had been some brief fighting, mostly for show on the end of the Vatos, but Glenn had been released and they decided to come back to camp.

The takings from that day were sparse, but the items that had been grabbed were better than the trip that Harry and Hermione had interrupted the day before. It seemed that their advice, or perhaps Glenn's influence, had actually made a dent in the way some were thinking. There were boxes of ammo, some for guns that they didn't have. This showed foresight because you never knew were you might find another gun. Bullets had to potential to replace currency at this rate, so they were definitely a high value item.

Canned items and food with longer shelf lives were amongst a box of assorted items. Flashlights, batteries, and some small first aide kits had joined the mashup. The supplies were sparse, but it was better to have quality rather than quantity since the quarry couldn't be a permanent camp. There were still frivolous supplies in the box like chips, sodas, and candy but it was a vast improvement from the previous raid.

Harry and Hermione made plans to seek out the Vatos the following day in the middle of their morning run. That would provide them with an excuse should anyone ask, but they would have to keep the visit short. They could offer the elderly spots in family housing with their younger sons and nephews, and they could also use the sons and nephews for building, farming, and guard duty.

The men, having just returned, made their way over to the camp and called out for the campers to come back. As Andrea and Amy returned to dish out the plates, Harry and Hermione watched to separate the men from the boys. Several of the men complimented the women kindly and thanked them for the meal. Those men would be added to the list Harry and Hermione kept of potentials. However, several of the men chose that moment to say inappropriate things to the girls, to touch them without permission, or to try to snatch or finagle more food. Those men would automatically be barred.

Rick and Shane were both quiet. Something must have happened during their journey to give them both something to ponder. They went up, retrieved their food, and both made their way over to Laurie and Carl to eat.

The evening was winding down after all of the excitement, and though a small group was gathering to party and chat around the relit fire, most of the camp were getting ready to tuck in for the night. Some of the campers volunteered to wash out dishes and smother the fire later in the evening, so Harry, Hermione, and Glenn prepared for bed. Harry would be taking first watch, and Glenn left briefly to wash himself in the nearby lake.

Harry set up a small lantern, grabbed a book, and settled in for a few hours of alertness. As he sat on the log they were using for a bench, he heard quiet footsteps near the tent. Daryl planted himself near a tree and silently took out a small block of wood and a knife for whittling.

"Back again then, eh? I don't have much more to tell you about your uncle, but people have told me I'm a good story teller. How would you feel about a trade? I'll tell you about dragons, and you can carve me another figure?"

Harry smiled towards the fire as his mind conjured up images of his fourth year, the triwizard tournament, a green light, and a heavy body covered in dirt and his own tears. Sometimes it was hard to remember exact details, sometimes it all just felt like a story he had dreamed up - it was better that way, less personal, less devastating.

"I could listen to a story I think," Daryl's voice rumbled. He stayed planted, leaning against the tree, but Harry knew that was just his way. Daryl wasn't the sort to stay somewhere he didn't want to be. Harry stretched out his legs, cleared his throat, and started telling a story that seemed, all at once, far too close and too far away from his memory.

"There was once a boy who lived with his aunt and uncle. They weren't very kind to the boy, but most of the time he didn't care. For most of the year he lived his life in a castle, and he had something more important than kindness from his relatives. He had friends, he had a purpose, and he had magic…"

On the other side of camp, Jim started digging a hole.

 ***-*-*-*-*-* Happy *-*-*-*-*-**-*-*-*-*-* Author's Note *-*-*-*-*-**-*-*-*-*-* Update *-*-*-*-*-***

It has literally been more than half a year since the last chapter. In that time I:  
1\. Quit my job  
2\. Moved across the state  
3\. Started living with my boyfriend  
4\. Started a new job  
5\. Started talking about getting engaged  
6\. Settled into my new job  
7\. Got a new puppy

Sorry for the absence. Things have been insane. I hope you enjoy this chapter. For once, it didn't feel forced in any place, and I feel like a lot got done in 15 pages. As usual, feel free to let me know if there are mistakes, but also be aware that I likely won't fix them. I'm ok with being imperfect.


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